Auth bypass in Phplist
CVE-2023-27576
An issue was discovered in phpList before 3.6.14. Due to an access error, it was possible to manipulate and edit data of the system's super admin, allowing one to perform an account takeover of the user with super-admin permission. Specifically, for a request with updatepassword=1, a modified request (manipulating both the ID parameter and the associated username) can bypass the intended email confirmation requirement. For example, the attacker can start from an updatepassword=1 request with their own ID number, and change the ID number to 1 (representing the super admin account) and change the username to admin2. In the first step, the attacker changes the super admin's email address to one under the attacker's control. In the second step, the attacker performs a password reset for the super admin account. The new password allows login as the super admin, i.e., a successful account takeover.
Vulnerability class: IDOR (Insecure Direct Object Reference)
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 6.7 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.003 (25.3th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 25th percentile — 25.3% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.003 · newest: 0.003 · change: 0.000
Affected products
- Phplist — versions 3.6.12
Weakness classification (CWE)
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- cupc4k3.lol/cve-2023-27576-hacking-phplist-how-i-gained-super-admin-access-44c7… (Technical Description, Exploit, Third Party Advisory)
- github.com/phpList/phplist3/pull/986
- www.phplist.org/newslist/phplist-3-6-14-release-notes/
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2023-27576?
- CVE-2023-27576 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Phplist, classified under Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key. CVSS score: 6.7/10. Published 2023-08-18.
- How severe is CVE-2023-27576?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.7 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2023-27576 known to be exploited?
- 1 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.