CVE-2024-29338 in Anchor
Summary
by MITRE • 03/22/2024
Anchor CMS v0.12.7 was discovered to contain a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) via /anchor/admin/categories/delete/2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/13/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-29338 affects Anchor CMS version 0.12.7 and represents a critical Cross-Site Request Forgery flaw that could enable unauthorized actions within the administrative interface. This vulnerability specifically manifests through the URL path /anchor/admin/categories/delete/2 which allows attackers to perform malicious operations without proper authentication. The flaw stems from the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms in the administrative deletion endpoint, making it susceptible to exploitation by malicious actors who can trick authenticated users into executing unwanted actions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the lack of anti-CSRF tokens or similar validation mechanisms within the category deletion functionality. When an authenticated administrator visits a malicious page or clicks on a crafted link, the browser automatically submits a request to the vulnerable endpoint without requiring user confirmation. This behavior aligns with CWE-352, which defines Cross-Site Request Forgery as a security weakness where the application fails to validate that requests originate from legitimate sources. The vulnerability exists because the application does not implement proper request validation or token-based authentication for administrative operations that modify system state.
From an operational perspective, this CSRF vulnerability poses significant risks to Anchor CMS installations as it allows attackers to delete categories from the content management system without authorization. This could result in data loss, disruption of website functionality, and potential compromise of the entire CMS environment. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability to remove critical content categories, potentially causing website downtime or data corruption. The impact extends beyond simple deletion operations as it undermines the integrity of the administrative interface and could serve as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1078 - Valid Accounts and T1566 - Phishing, as it exploits legitimate administrative sessions through social engineering techniques.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal technical expertise and can be accomplished through various methods including phishing emails, compromised websites, or malicious advertisements that embed the vulnerable URL within crafted web pages. The attack vector leverages the trust relationship between the user's browser and the CMS application, making it particularly dangerous as users may unknowingly perform destructive actions while browsing. Organizations using Anchor CMS version 0.12.7 should immediately implement mitigations including the addition of CSRF tokens to all administrative endpoints, proper validation of request origins, and implementation of Content Security Policy headers to prevent unauthorized script execution. Regular security audits and input validation should be enforced across all administrative interfaces to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future versions of the application.
This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing comprehensive CSRF protection mechanisms within web applications, particularly those with administrative interfaces. The flaw highlights the need for security-conscious development practices and proper adherence to web application security standards. Organizations should conduct regular vulnerability assessments and ensure that all administrative endpoints implement robust authentication and authorization controls. The presence of such vulnerabilities in widely-used CMS platforms underscores the necessity for continuous security monitoring and prompt patch management to protect against exploitation. Implementation of automated security testing and code review processes can help identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities before they can be exploited in production environments.