CVE-2023-51334
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to send excessive password reset emails to legitimate users by exploiting missing rate limiting in the 'Forgot Password' feature. This can lead to denial of service through email spam and potential email server overload. All installations of PHPJabbers Cinema Booking System v1.0 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- PHPJabbers Cinema Booking System
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete email server disruption due to massive email volume, legitimate users locked out of password recovery, and potential secondary attacks if email infrastructure is shared.
Likely Case
Targeted users receive hundreds of password reset emails, causing inbox flooding and temporary service disruption for affected individuals.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper rate limiting and email monitoring in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Simple HTTP POST requests to the password reset endpoint can trigger unlimited emails.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Unknown
Vendor Advisory: Not available
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
No official patch available. Consider upgrading to newer versions if available or implementing workarounds.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Implement Rate Limiting
allAdd rate limiting to the password reset endpoint to restrict requests per IP/user.
Modify /includes/forgot_password.php to add request counting and delays
Disable Password Reset Feature
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable 'Forgot Password' functionality.
Comment out or remove the password reset form and endpoint
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to limit requests to the password reset endpoint
- Monitor email server logs for abnormal password reset email volumes
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Test by sending multiple password reset requests to the same email address from the same IP within a short timeframe.Check Version:
Check the system version in the admin panel or read the version file if present.Verify Fix Applied:
After implementing rate limiting, verify that multiple rapid password reset requests are blocked or delayed.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple POST requests to password reset endpoint from same IP
- Abnormal email sending volume in mail server logs
Network Indicators:
- High volume of HTTP POST requests to /forgot-password or similar endpoints
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND (uri_path="/forgot-password" OR uri_path="/reset-password") AND count() > 10 within 1 minute