CVE-2017-8827: GeniXCMS Arbitrary User Password Reset Vulnerability

Background

GeniXCMS is a content management system that allows users to create and manage websites. It is built on the Packagist ecosystem and is commonly used for website development. The vulnerability in question is an arbitrary user password reset vulnerability in the 'forgotpassword.php' file of GeniXCMS. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to potentially cause a denial of service by rendering login functionality unusable or even conduct arbitrary user password reset attacks by exploiting the lack of rate limiting in the 'forgotpassword.php' endpoint.

Vulnerability Detail

The lack of rate limiting in the 'forgotpassword.php' file of GeniXCMS allows an attacker to send a series of requests without any restrictions. This can lead to a denial of service situation where legitimate users are unable to log in due to the overwhelming number of requests. Additionally, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to perform arbitrary user password resets, potentially gaining unauthorized access to user accounts. This vulnerability has a CVSS score of 9.1, indicating a critical severity level.

composer require genix/cms:1.1.2

Workaround

As a temporary workaround, users can implement rate limiting measures for the 'forgotpassword.php' endpoint manually. This can be achieved by adding rate limiting logic to the code handling the 'forgotpassword.php' functionality. Here is an example of how rate limiting can be implemented in PHP:

// Add rate limiting logic to forgotpassword.php

$ip = $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'];
$limit = 5; // Maximum number of requests allowed per minute

// Check if the IP has exceeded the rate limit
if (get_request_count($ip) > $limit) {
    // Display an error message or redirect to a CAPTCHA page
    die('Too many requests. Please try again later.');
}

// Process the forgot password request
// ...

// Update the request count for the IP
update_request_count($ip);

// Function to get the request count for an IP
function get_request_count($ip) {
    // Implement your own logic to retrieve the request count from a database or cache
    // ...
}

// Function to update the request count for an IP
function update_request_count($ip) {
    // Implement your own logic to update the request count in a database or cache
    // ...
}

Conclusion

In conclusion, the GeniXCMS package is vulnerable to an arbitrary user password reset vulnerability due to the lack of rate limiting in the 'forgotpassword.php' file. This vulnerability can lead to denial of service and unauthorized access to user accounts. It is recommended to update the package to version 1.1.2 or later to fix this vulnerability. For further support on vulnerability remediation, please contact DevNack.com.

See every vulnerability recorded for genix/cms →

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