CVE-2024-31213 in icms2
Summary
by MITRE • 04/05/2024
InstantCMS is a free and open source content management system. An open redirect was found in the ICMS2 application version 2.16.2 when being redirected after modifying one's own user profile. An attacker could trick a victim into visiting their web application, thinking they are still present on the ICMS2 application. They could then host a website stating "To update your profile, please enter your password," upon which the user may type their password and send it to the attacker. As of time of publication, a patched version is not available.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/08/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-31213 represents a critical open redirect flaw within the InstantCMS 2.16.2 content management system that exposes users to sophisticated social engineering attacks. This security weakness specifically manifests during the user profile modification process, where the application fails to properly validate redirect URLs, creating an exploitable pathway for malicious actors to manipulate user navigation. The vulnerability resides in the application's authentication flow and demonstrates a fundamental failure in input validation and output encoding practices that directly violates security best practices outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and the CWE-601 vulnerability classification. The flaw allows attackers to craft malicious URLs that appear legitimate to users while redirecting them to attacker-controlled domains, effectively bypassing the application's own security boundaries.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when users navigate through the profile modification workflow, where the system processes redirect parameters without proper sanitization or validation. Attackers can construct malicious redirect URLs that point to phishing pages designed to harvest user credentials, creating a deceptive environment where victims believe they are still operating within the legitimate InstantCMS application interface. This open redirect vulnerability specifically maps to CWE-601 which defines the weakness of URL redirection to untrusted sites, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 which covers social engineering through spearphishing attachments or links. The flaw exploits the trust relationship between the user and the application, leveraging the user's established session to redirect them to malicious sites that mimic the legitimate application interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it enables attackers to conduct sophisticated phishing campaigns that can compromise multiple user accounts within the InstantCMS environment. Users who modify their profiles and are redirected to attacker-controlled sites may unknowingly provide sensitive information including passwords, personal details, or even financial information depending on the application's functionality. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal technical skill from attackers, making it particularly dangerous as it can be automated and deployed at scale. Organizations using InstantCMS 2.16.2 face significant risk of credential compromise, potential data breaches, and reputational damage when this vulnerability remains unpatched. The lack of a patched version at the time of publication creates an extended window of exposure that can be exploited by threat actors to conduct prolonged reconnaissance and attack campaigns against vulnerable user bases.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate implementation of URL validation controls and redirect sanitization measures within the application's authentication flow. Organizations should implement strict URL validation that ensures all redirect parameters originate from trusted domains or are explicitly validated against a whitelist of acceptable destinations. The solution must incorporate proper input sanitization techniques and output encoding to prevent malicious URLs from being processed as legitimate redirects. Security controls should include implementing the principle of least privilege for redirect functionality, restricting redirect parameters to only those necessary for legitimate application operations. Organizations should also deploy network monitoring solutions to detect anomalous redirect patterns and implement user education programs to raise awareness about phishing attempts. The remediation approach should follow the NIST Cybersecurity Framework guidelines for vulnerability management and incorporate regular security assessments to identify similar weaknesses in the application's codebase. Additionally, implementing HTTP headers such as X-Frame-Options and Content Security Policy directives can provide additional layers of protection against malicious redirection attacks.