CVE-2026-102362 in mall4j
Summary
by MITRE • 09/29/2026
mall4j through 4.0 fails to implement authentication controls on the DELETE /prodComm endpoint in ProdCommController. Unauthenticated attackers can delete arbitrary product reviews by supplying the prodCommId parameter without authorization checks.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/29/2026
The vulnerability identified in mall4j versions up to and including 4.0 represents a critical failure in access control mechanisms, specifically categorized under CWE-862: Missing Authorization. This flaw resides within the ProdCommController component of the application, where the HTTP DELETE endpoint associated with /prodComm lacks any form of authentication or authorization verification. In secure web applications, every state-changing operation must verify that the requesting user possesses the necessary privileges to perform the action on the specific resource targeted. The absence of these checks means that the server processes deletion requests based solely on the presence of a prodCommId parameter in the request payload, completely ignoring whether the requester is an authenticated user or if they own the review being deleted.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to manipulate product reviews arbitrarily by crafting malicious HTTP DELETE requests. By simply providing a valid prodCommId, which typically corresponds to a unique identifier for a specific product comment or review in the database, an attacker can force the server to remove that record without any proof of identity. This bypasses standard security controls such as session validation, token verification, and role-based access checks. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it enables data destruction at scale if the application exposes predictable or enumerable identifiers for product reviews, allowing attackers to iterate through IDs and delete large volumes of user-generated content rapidly.
The operational impact of this flaw extends beyond simple data loss. Product reviews are a core component of e-commerce platforms, influencing customer trust and purchasing decisions. The ability to silently remove negative feedback allows malicious actors, potentially including competitors or disgruntled individuals, to manipulate public perception by eliminating critical reviews while leaving positive ones intact. This constitutes an integrity violation that can mislead consumers and damage the reputation of merchants using the platform. Furthermore, if the application does not implement proper cascading deletes or soft-delete mechanisms with audit trails, this action results in permanent data loss, complicating forensic analysis and recovery efforts.
This vulnerability aligns closely with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1485: Data Destruction, which describes actions taken by adversaries to destroy data on a target system. In the context of web applications, it also reflects weaknesses often seen in Broken Access Control scenarios where endpoints are exposed without proper middleware or interceptor checks for user session validity. The lack of authentication means that even anonymous users can execute destructive operations, violating the principle of least privilege and failing to enforce identity-based access policies required by modern security standards such as OWASP Top 10 A01:2021 Broken Access Control.
To mitigate this vulnerability, developers must implement robust authentication and authorization checks on all state-changing endpoints within ProdCommController. Specifically, every DELETE request should require a valid user session or API token that is verified against the server's security context before any database operations are executed. Additionally, access control logic must verify that the authenticated user owns the specific prodCommId being targeted for deletion, ensuring users can only modify their own data. Implementing rate limiting and input validation on the prodCommId parameter can further reduce the risk of automated enumeration attacks. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar gaps in other endpoints where authentication controls may have been inadvertently omitted during development or refactoring processes.