CVE-2020-18694
📋 TL;DR
This CSRF vulnerability in IgnitedCMS v1.0 allows attackers to trick authenticated administrators into performing unauthorized actions via the profile update endpoint. Attackers can steal sensitive information and escalate privileges by exploiting this flaw. All IgnitedCMS v1.0 installations with admin interfaces accessible to users are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- IgnitedCMS
📦 What is this software?
Ignitedcms by Ignitedcms
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise where attackers gain administrative privileges, steal all sensitive data, and potentially take over the entire CMS installation.
Likely Case
Privilege escalation leading to unauthorized administrative access, data theft, and potential further exploitation of the compromised system.
If Mitigated
No impact if proper CSRF protections are implemented or if the vulnerable endpoint is properly secured.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires tricking an authenticated admin user to visit a malicious page. The GitHub issue contains technical details that could be used to create exploits.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Not available
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/ignitedcms/ignitedcms/issues/5
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
No official patch available. Consider upgrading to a newer version if available, or implement CSRF protection manually in the affected endpoint.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Implement CSRF Token Protection
allAdd CSRF token validation to the /admin/profile/save_profile endpoint
Edit the affected PHP file to include CSRF token generation and validation
Restrict Admin Access
allLimit admin interface access to trusted IP addresses only
Add IP-based restrictions to admin directory in web server configuration
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network segmentation to isolate the CMS from other critical systems
- Enable strict SameSite cookie policies and implement additional authentication factors for admin actions
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if your IgnitedCMS version is v1.0 and examine the /admin/profile/save_profile endpoint for CSRF protectionCheck Version:
Check CMS version in admin panel or examine version files in installation directoryVerify Fix Applied:
Test the profile update functionality with and without valid CSRF tokens to ensure proper validation📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple failed profile update attempts from same IP
- Profile updates without proper referrer headers
- Admin actions from unexpected user agents
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to /admin/profile/save_profile without CSRF tokens
- Requests with suspicious referrer domains
SIEM Query:
source="web_server" AND (uri="/admin/profile/save_profile" AND method="POST") AND NOT csrf_token=*