Craft CMS has a vulnerability that allows unauthenticated users to store arbitrary content in session files. This vulnerability allows attackers to access and potentially execute the stored content, which could lead to further exploitation using other vulnerabilities. The severity of this vulnerability is classified as medium due to its potential impact on confidentiality and integrity, with a CVSS score of 6.9. The urgency for organizations is high, and they should prioritize patching affected versions.
The vulnerability exists because Craft CMS does not sanitize parameters of the return URL that is stored in session files. As a result, an unauthenticated client can introduce arbitrary values, including PHP code, which could lead to code execution on the server. The Craft CMS versions 5.7.5 and 4.15.3 have been released to address this issue.
Organizations should prioritize patching immediately to mitigate risks associated with this vulnerability. The vulnerability has been added to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, indicating its significance in the threat landscape.
The Craft CMS community has responded swiftly, providing patches to address the vulnerability. Security teams should ensure that they are running the latest versions of Craft CMS to protect against this risk.
Vulnerability Details
According to the official CVE description, this vulnerability allows arbitrary content to be stored by unauthenticated users in session files. The Craft CMS system generates session files at '/var/lib/php/sessions', which can be accessed without proper sanitization. The session files are named 'sess_[session_value]', and the content can be exploited if executed.
The CWE classification for this vulnerability is CWE-472: External Control of Assumed-Immutable Web Parameter. The CVSS score of 6.9 reflects a medium severity which indicates that exploitation could lead to some integrity impact but no confidentiality or availability impact.
Technical Analysis
The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the lack of parameter sanitization in session management. The attack vector is through network access, and the complexity of the attack is low, requiring no privileges or user interaction. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to introduce arbitrary values into session files, potentially leading to code execution.
The confidentiality impact is none, but the integrity impact is low, as unauthorized modification of session data could occur. The availability impact is also none, making the overall risk primarily focused on integrity.
Risk & Impact Analysis
Risk to organizations includes potential unauthorized access and modification of session data, which could lead to further exploitation of the application or server. The blast radius includes any system using Craft CMS versions prior to the patched versions. This vulnerability holds a critical significance for organizations, especially those handling sensitive user data.
Given its inclusion in the KEV catalog and the CVSS score indicating medium severity, organizations should address this vulnerability in their priority patch cycle. Security teams must ensure that their systems are updated to the latest versions to mitigate any risks.
Exploitation Status
Signal | Status |
|---|---|
Known Exploit | No |
Public PoC | No |
Actively Exploited | Yes |
Ransomware Use | No |
Affected Versions
Craft CMS versions 5.0.0 to 5.7.4 and 4.15.2 and earlier are affected by this vulnerability. Organizations should ensure they upgrade to the patched versions, 5.7.5 or 4.15.3, to mitigate the risks.
Mitigation & Remediation
To mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability, organizations should apply the latest patches provided by Craft CMS. Upgrade to Craft CMS versions 5.7.5 or 4.15.3 to ensure that the vulnerability is resolved. If immediate patching is not possible, consider implementing workarounds such as disabling session storage for unauthenticated users to prevent the possibility of arbitrary code execution.
Organizations should monitor their systems for any unusual activities and ensure proper configuration hardening is in place to minimize exposure.
Continuous security testing can also help identify vulnerabilities in your systems before they can be exploited.
Detection Guidance
Organizations should look for log indicators that capture any unauthorized access attempts to session storage. Monitor for any behavioral anomalies that suggest exploitation attempts, such as unexpected session file modifications or access patterns. Network signatures should also be updated to flag suspicious activities related to Craft CMS usage.
AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight
The long-term significance of this vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and session management in web applications. Craft CMS developers should take this incident as a learning opportunity to enhance the security of their codebase and prevent similar vulnerabilities in the future.
This vulnerability represents a trend towards the exploitation of session management flaws. Organizations must remain vigilant and adopt robust security practices to mitigate risks associated with session storage vulnerabilities.
Security teams should prioritize the development of a comprehensive vulnerability management program to continuously assess and remediate vulnerabilities within their applications.
Additionally, organizations should consider engaging in API security testing to identify potential security loopholes that could be exploited by attackers.
In conclusion, maintaining robust security practices, regular updates, and a proactive approach to vulnerability management will reduce the risk of exploitation and enhance the overall security posture of organizations using Craft CMS.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
.webp)