Source: cna@vuldb.com
A vulnerability was detected in PHPEMS up to 11.0. The impacted element is an unknown function. The manipulation results in cross-site request forgery. The attack may be launched remotely.
PHPEMS versions up to 11.0 are vulnerable to a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attack. This allows a malicious actor to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of a legitimate user, potentially leading to data compromise or system takeover if the affected function controls critical functionality.
Step 1: Victim Interaction: The attacker crafts a malicious link or HTML snippet containing a specially crafted request to the vulnerable PHPEMS function.
Step 2: Social Engineering: The attacker lures a logged-in PHPEMS user into clicking the malicious link or visiting a webpage containing the malicious HTML.
Step 3: Request Execution: The victim's browser, unaware of the malicious intent, automatically sends the crafted request to the PHPEMS server. This is possible because the request originates from the same domain as the victim's active PHPEMS session.
Step 4: Unauthorized Action: The PHPEMS server processes the malicious request, performing the unauthorized action (e.g., changing user settings, creating new accounts, modifying data) on behalf of the victim.
Step 5: Attack Completion: The attacker achieves their objective, potentially gaining control of the victim's account or compromising the system.
The vulnerability lies within an unspecified function in PHPEMS. The root cause is a lack of proper CSRF protection, such as the absence of or improper implementation of CSRF tokens or insufficient validation of the origin of incoming requests. This allows an attacker to craft malicious requests that are executed by a victim's browser without their knowledge or consent. The specific function's purpose is unknown, but its exploitation leads to unauthorized actions within the PHPEMS application. The lack of proper input validation or authorization checks exacerbates the issue, allowing attackers to manipulate data or trigger unintended behavior.
Due to the lack of specifics, no specific APT groups or malware families are directly linked to this vulnerability. However, any actor with the capability to craft and deliver malicious links or HTML snippets could potentially exploit this vulnerability. CISA KEV status: Not Listed.
Monitor web server logs for suspicious POST or GET requests originating from unexpected sources or with unusual parameters, especially those targeting the PHPEMS application.
Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with CSRF protection rules to block malicious requests.
Analyze network traffic for unusual patterns, such as a high volume of requests from a single IP address or requests with suspicious content.
Monitor user activity for anomalies, such as unexpected changes to user accounts or data modifications.
Implement robust CSRF protection mechanisms, including the use of unique, unpredictable CSRF tokens for each form and request.
Validate the origin of all incoming requests to ensure they originate from the expected domain.
Thoroughly review and sanitize all user inputs to prevent other vulnerabilities, such as XSS.
Regularly update PHPEMS to the latest version or apply security patches as they become available.
Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to filter malicious requests.