CVE-2021–36560: Critical Authentication Bypass Leads to Admin Account Takeover
Exploring the Impact and Remediation of the CVE-2021–36560 Vulnerability
Each system or programme needs authentication to function.
It makes sure that only authorised users may access crucial information and features.
But, if a flaw in the authentication procedure exists, attackers may take advantage of it to access the system without authorization.
Particularly serious repercussions might result from an authentication bypass vulnerability that allows the admin to seize control of their account.
- Authentication is an essential part of every programme or system.
It guarantees that important data and functionality are only accessible to authorised users.
But, if a weakness in the authentication procedure exists, attackers can exploit it to obtain unauthorised access to the system.
An authentication bypass vulnerability, in particular, that results in admin account takeover, might have serious ramifications.
Steps to Reproduce:
- Navigate to the admin login page(https://admin.example.com/).
- Bruteforce the directory with dirbuster.
- Discover that there is a dashboard.php page that leads directly to the admin panel(https://admin.example.com/dashboard.php/)
- Admin panel accessed.
Impact:
The consequences of an authentication bypass vulnerability that results in admin account takeover can be severe and far-reaching.
An attacker with access to the admin account has the ability to steal sensitive data, alter system configurations, and launch further assaults on other systems or users.
The attacker might potentially utilise the admin account to establish new user accounts, give existing users extra capabilities, or erase data from the system.
Remediation:
To address an authentication bypass vulnerability that leads to admin account takeover, it is critical to create robust, attack-resistant authentication measures.
Using multi-factor authentication, utilising strong password restrictions, and periodically upgrading authentication techniques to address emerging vulnerabilities are all part of this.
