CVE-2024-41964 in Kirby
Summary
by MITRE • 08/29/2024
Kirby is a CMS targeting designers and editors. Kirby allows to restrict the permissions of specific user roles. Users of that role can only perform permitted actions. Permissions for creating and deleting languages have already existed and could be configured, but were not enforced by Kirby's frontend or backend code. A permission for updating existing languages has not existed before the patched versions. So disabling the languages.* wildcard permission for a role could not have prohibited updates to existing language definitions. The missing permission checks allowed attackers with Panel access to manipulate the language definitions. The problem has been patched in Kirby 3.6.6.6, Kirby 3.7.5.5, Kirby 3.8.4.4, Kirby 3.9.8.2, Kirby 3.10.1.1, and Kirby 4.3.1. Please update to one of these or a later version to fix the vulnerability. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/07/2024
This vulnerability affects Kirby CMS versions prior to the patched releases, specifically impacting the permission system's enforcement mechanisms for language management operations. The flaw stems from inadequate permission validation within both frontend and backend components, creating a critical security gap that allows unauthorized manipulation of language definitions. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it undermines the core access control model that designers and editors rely upon to maintain content integrity and security boundaries within their CMS environments.
The technical implementation flaw involves missing permission checks for language update operations, which represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and proper access control enforcement. Prior to the fix, while creators and deleters of languages could be restricted through existing permission configurations, the ability to modify existing language definitions remained unrestricted regardless of permission settings. This represents a CWE-284 access control vulnerability where insufficient authorization checks allow unauthorized modifications to system resources. The absence of a dedicated languages.update permission meant that users with Panel access could bypass existing permission controls to manipulate language definitions, effectively circumventing the intended security boundaries.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations relying on Kirby's role-based access control system. Attackers with Panel access could exploit this flaw to modify language definitions, potentially leading to content manipulation, data corruption, or even privilege escalation within the CMS. The vulnerability affects the integrity of the content management system's language configuration, which could be leveraged to create misleading content or disrupt content delivery. Given that this affects the Panel interface, it represents a critical vector for attackers who have already gained access to the CMS administrative interface, making the impact more severe than if it were a remote code execution vulnerability.
Organizations should immediately update to one of the patched versions including Kirby 3.6.6.6, 3.7.5.5, 3.8.4.4, 3.9.8.2, 3.10.1.1, or Kirby 4.3.1 to remediate this vulnerability. The patch addresses the missing permission checks by implementing proper authorization validation for language update operations, ensuring that only users with appropriate permissions can modify existing language definitions. Security teams should conduct immediate audits of existing user roles and permission configurations to verify that language-related permissions are properly configured and enforced. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of comprehensive permission testing and the need for thorough security reviews of access control mechanisms, particularly in content management systems where content integrity is paramount. The lack of workarounds means that organizations must implement the official patches rather than attempting alternative mitigation strategies, as no temporary solutions exist to address the core authorization enforcement gap.