CVE-2024-42553 in Hotel Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 08/20/2024
A Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) in the component admin_room_added.php of Hotel Management System commit 91caab8 allows attackers to escalate privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/14/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-42553 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Hotel Management System's administrative component admin_room_added.php. This weakness resides in the commit 91caab8 version of the software and specifically targets the privilege escalation capabilities of authenticated attackers. The vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms within the administrative room addition functionality, creating an exploitable pathway for malicious actors to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability occurs when an authenticated administrator performs room addition operations through the admin_room_added.php component. Without adequate CSRF protection measures such as unique tokens tied to user sessions, attackers can craft malicious web requests that exploit the trust relationship between the web application and the authenticated user. This flaw allows unauthorized privilege escalation because the system processes administrative requests without sufficient verification of the request origin, enabling attackers to manipulate the system's room management functions with elevated privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation to encompass full administrative control over the hotel management system. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF flaw can add, modify, or delete room configurations, potentially affecting room availability, pricing, and reservation systems. The privilege escalation aspect means that even if an attacker initially gains access through a lower-privilege account, they can leverage this vulnerability to elevate their access level within the system. This represents a significant security risk for hotel management operations where unauthorized changes to room configurations could lead to financial loss, guest service disruptions, and data integrity breaches.
Security professionals should implement comprehensive CSRF protection measures including the use of anti-CSRF tokens that are generated per session and validated on each administrative request. The solution aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities, and follows ATT&CK technique T1548.005 for privilege escalation through web application exploitation. Organizations should also consider implementing proper input validation, session management controls, and regular security code reviews to prevent similar vulnerabilities in other administrative components. Additionally, the implementation of Content Security Policy headers and proper request origin verification can provide additional defense-in-depth measures against such attacks. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of maintaining robust authentication and authorization controls within web applications, particularly in systems handling sensitive operational data and administrative functions.