Description

CVE-2023-23752 is a vulnerability in Joomla CMS that allows unauthorized access to webservice endpoints. This vulnerability affects Joomla versions 4.0.0 through 4.2.7 and was discovered by security@joomla.org. The vulnerability was published on February 16, 2023, and has a CVSS score of 5.3, which is considered medium severity.

Impact

This vulnerability can have a significant impact on the average internet user. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information, such as user credentials and personal data. This information can then be used for malicious purposes, such as identity theft and financial fraud. Additionally, this vulnerability can be used to compromise websites and servers, leading to further security breaches.

Exploit

The provided source code is a bash script designed to exploit the CVE-2023-23752 vulnerability. The script scans URLs for sensitive information by sending a GET request to the URL endpoint. If the request is successful, the script parses the response for sensitive information such as user, pass, or id. The script then saves the full response in a result file and displays the sensitive information received in the response.

Let's take a closer look at the code snippets and explain how the code attacks the vulnerability.

output=$(echo $url | httpx -path '/api/index.php/v1/config/application?public=true' -sc -mc 200,406 -silent)

This line sends a GET request to the URL endpoint and saves the response in the output variable. The -path option specifies the path to the webservice endpoint, and the -sc and -mc options specify the status codes to look for in the response. If the response contains a 200 or 406 status code, the script proceeds to parse the response for sensitive information.

cat result | grep -o -E '.{0,20}(user|pass|id).{0,20}' | sed 's/^.\{0,20\}//;s/\(.\{20\}\).*$/\1/'

This line parses the response for sensitive information using the grep and sed commands. The grep command searches for the keywords "user", "pass", or "id" in the response and returns the surrounding text. The sed command then removes the first 20 characters and truncates the remaining text to 20 characters, displaying only the sensitive information.

Mitigation

To protect against this vulnerability, Joomla users should update their software to the latest version as soon as possible. Additionally, users should ensure that their websites and servers are properly secured and that sensitive information is encrypted and protected. It's also important to regularly monitor websites and servers for any suspicious activity or unauthorized access.

In conclusion, the CVE-2023-23752 vulnerability in Joomla CMS can have a significant impact on the security of websites and servers. It's important for users to take proactive measures to protect against this vulnerability and ensure the security of their online presence. By staying informed and taking appropriate action, users can help prevent security breaches and protect their sensitive information.

References