Summary
Feehi CMS contains an access-control weakness that allows a low-privilege backend administrator with administrator-update permission to change the built-in super administrator's password. Because the server does not protect this account or require its existing password, successful exploitation may result in super administrator account takeover.
Feehi CMS contains an access-control weakness that allows a low-privilege backend administrator with administrator-update permission to change the built-in super administrator's password. Because the server does not protect this account or require its existing password, successful exploitation may result in super administrator account takeover.
Affected context
The issue occurs in Feehi CMS backend account-management functionality when a lower-privileged administrator is permitted to update administrator accounts. Deployments are at risk when the built-in super administrator account can be modified through this workflow without a separate authorization check or verification of the existing password.
The issue occurs in Feehi CMS backend account-management functionality when a lower-privileged administrator is permitted to update administrator accounts. Deployments are at risk when the built-in super administrator account can be modified through this workflow without a separate authorization check or verification of the existing password.
Exploit preconditions
- Attack surface: Authenticated backend administrator account-management functionality
- Required access: A low-privilege administrator account with administrator-update permission
- Trigger point: Updating the password of the built-in super administrator account
- Why exploitation is possible: The server does not apply special protection to the super administrator account and does not require the current password before accepting the change
- Attack surface: Authenticated backend administrator account-management functionality
- Required access: A low-privilege administrator account with administrator-update permission
- Trigger point: Updating the password of the built-in super administrator account
- Why exploitation is possible: The server does not apply special protection to the super administrator account and does not require the current password before accepting the change
Why this happens
The underlying flaw is an authorization failure in a sensitive account-management operation. The application relies on a general administrator-update permission without enforcing stronger controls for the built-in super administrator account or verifying the existing credential. This behavior maps to CWE-284: Improper Access Control, because a lower-privileged principal can perform an operation outside the intended authorization boundary.
The underlying flaw is an authorization failure in a sensitive account-management operation. The application relies on a general administrator-update permission without enforcing stronger controls for the built-in super administrator account or verifying the existing credential. This behavior maps to CWE-284: Improper Access Control, because a lower-privileged principal can perform an operation outside the intended authorization boundary.
Potential impact
- An attacker may take control of the built-in super administrator account
- The attacker could gain unrestricted access to backend administrative functions
- Sensitive content, settings, or user data may be modified or exposed
- The compromised account can be used to create persistence or alter application security controls
- An attacker may take control of the built-in super administrator account
- The attacker could gain unrestricted access to backend administrative functions
- Sensitive content, settings, or user data may be modified or exposed
- The compromised account can be used to create persistence or alter application security controls
General mitigation guidance
Mitigation generally focuses on enforcing authorization at the server-side operation level and treating privileged built-in accounts as protected security principals.
Common defensive patterns include:
- Requiring explicit, higher-level authorization for changes to super administrator credentials
- Requiring the existing password or an equivalent step-up verification for sensitive account changes
- Preventing lower-privilege administrators from modifying protected accounts
- Applying deny-by-default rules to account-management endpoints and update parameters
- Recording and alerting on privileged-account credential changes
- Limiting administrative permissions according to least privilege
Mitigation generally focuses on enforcing authorization at the server-side operation level and treating privileged built-in accounts as protected security principals.
Common defensive patterns include:
- Requiring explicit, higher-level authorization for changes to super administrator credentials
- Requiring the existing password or an equivalent step-up verification for sensitive account changes
- Preventing lower-privilege administrators from modifying protected accounts
- Applying deny-by-default rules to account-management endpoints and update parameters
- Recording and alerting on privileged-account credential changes
- Limiting administrative permissions according to least privilege
How teams detect issues like this
Organizations can identify similar weaknesses through:
- Static and dynamic analysis of authorization checks around account-management handlers
- Code review signals such as role checks without resource-level checks for protected accounts
- Tests that verify low-privilege administrators cannot alter super administrator credentials
- Policy enforcement requiring step-up authentication for privileged-account changes
- Audit-log monitoring for password changes involving built-in or highly privileged accounts
Automated security testing and access-control review tools can help detect inconsistent authorization behavior across backend endpoints.
Organizations can identify similar weaknesses through:
- Static and dynamic analysis of authorization checks around account-management handlers
- Code review signals such as role checks without resource-level checks for protected accounts
- Tests that verify low-privilege administrators cannot alter super administrator credentials
- Policy enforcement requiring step-up authentication for privileged-account changes
- Audit-log monitoring for password changes involving built-in or highly privileged accounts
Automated security testing and access-control review tools can help detect inconsistent authorization behavior across backend endpoints.
Sources
| Source | Link |
|---|---|
| github. | github.com/ |
| github. | github.com/ |
