CVE-2026-68923 in MobSF
Summary
by MITRE • 08/18/2026
MobSF is a mobile application security testing tool used. Prior to 4.5.1, mobsf/MobSF/settings.py places django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware only in the deprecated MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES setting and omits it from the active MIDDLEWARE tuple, allowing a remote attacker to make a logged-in victim submit cross-site POST requests to authenticated web endpoints including /delete_scan/, /upload/, /download_scan/, /change_password/, /create_user/, and /delete_user/. This can delete scans, upload or download applications, change passwords, or manage users with the victim account permissions. This issue is fixed in version 4.5.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/18/2026
The vulnerability identified in MobSF prior to version 4.5.1 represents a critical misconfiguration of Django’s security middleware stack that fundamentally undermines session integrity and authentication controls. As an automated mobile application security testing platform, MobSF handles sensitive data including proprietary source code, binary files, and user credentials. The core technical flaw stems from the incorrect placement of django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware within the deprecated MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES setting rather than the active MIDDLEWARE tuple in the settings.py configuration file. In modern Django versions, middleware defined in MIDDLEWARE is executed for every request, whereas entries in MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES are ignored during runtime processing unless specifically configured to do so through legacy compatibility layers that may not be fully enabled or functional depending on the specific deployment environment and Python version. This architectural oversight effectively disables Cross-Site Request Forgery protections for all endpoints managed by this middleware instance.
Cross-site request forgery attacks exploit the trust a web application has in a user's browser, particularly when combined with active authentication sessions. By omitting CSRF protection from the active middleware chain, MobSF fails to validate that incoming POST requests originate from legitimate sources authorized by the current session token. This allows an attacker to craft malicious HTML pages or scripts containing hidden forms that automatically submit HTTP POST requests to vulnerable endpoints while a victim is logged into their MobSF instance. The browser will attach the user's active cookies and authentication tokens to these forged requests, causing the server to process them as legitimate actions performed by the authenticated user. This bypasses standard security controls because the application cannot distinguish between requests initiated by the user via its interface and those injected maliciously from external domains.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to the high-privilege nature of many MobSF endpoints. An attacker can leverage this flaw to execute a range of destructive actions under the victim's account permissions without their knowledge or consent. Specifically, the lack of CSRF protection affects critical administrative and data management functions including /delete_scan/, which allows for the destruction of security analysis results; /upload/ and /download_scan/, which enable unauthorized access to sensitive application binaries and reports; and user management endpoints such as /change_password/, /create_user/, and /delete_user/. The ability to change passwords or create new administrative users grants persistent control over the system, while deleting scans destroys forensic evidence crucial for security assessments. This effectively compromises the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of both the MobSF platform itself and any mobile applications analyzed through it.
Remediation requires immediate upgrading to version 4.5.1 or later where this configuration error has been corrected by properly placing django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware within the active MIDDLEWARE tuple. This ensures that CSRF tokens are validated for all state-changing POST requests, thereby preventing unauthorized actions from being executed via forged browser requests. In addition to upgrading, organizations should implement defense-in-depth strategies such as enforcing strict Content Security Policy headers and ensuring that session cookies have appropriate flags like HttpOnly and Secure set to mitigate potential cross-site scripting vectors that might facilitate CSRF attacks. Monitoring for unusual POST activity patterns can also aid in detecting attempted exploitation of similar misconfigurations in other Django-based applications.
From a classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-352 Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), which describes the failure to verify the origin and intent of state-changing requests. It is further contextualized by MITRE ATT&CK technique T1089 Disabling Security Tools or Software, as an attacker could use user management endpoints to remove security controls or accounts that might detect their presence. The scenario also relates to CWE-256 Unprotected Storage of Credentials if the password change functionality allows for account takeover leading to credential theft. Addressing this issue is essential for maintaining the trustworthiness of automated security testing environments and protecting sensitive intellectual property from unauthorized access or destruction.