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Attack Tree Analysis for octobercms/october

Objective: Gain Unauthorized Administrative Access [CN]

Attack Tree Visualization

                                     Gain Unauthorized Administrative Access [CN]
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  2. Exploit Plugin/Theme Vulnerabilities                               3. Leverage Weak Configuration/Deployment
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2.1                                                                     3.1             3.2
Known Vuln                                                              Predictable    Weak File
in Installed                                                            Admin URL      Permissions
Plugin/Theme [HR]                                                       / Default     [HR]
                                                                        Credentials
                                                                        [CN][HR]

Attack Tree Path: 2. Exploit Plugin/Theme Vulnerabilities

  • 2.1 Known Vulnerabilities in Installed Plugin/Theme [HR]:
    • Description: An attacker leverages a publicly known vulnerability in an installed plugin or theme to compromise the system. This is a high-risk path because exploits are often readily available, and the sheer number of plugins/themes increases the attack surface.
    • Likelihood: Medium to High
    • Impact: Variable (often High), can lead to RCE, data breaches, website defacement.
    • Effort: Low to Medium (exploits are often publicly available).
    • Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate (if exploits are readily available), Advanced (if vulnerability discovery is required).
    • Detection Difficulty: Medium (detectable through vulnerability scanning and intrusion detection systems).
    • Attack Steps:
      1. Identify installed plugins and themes.
      2. Search for known vulnerabilities in those plugins/themes using vulnerability databases (e.g., CVE, WPScan Database, Exploit-DB).
      3. If a known vulnerability exists and an exploit is available, deploy the exploit.
      4. Depending on the vulnerability, this could lead to:
        • Remote Code Execution (RCE)
        • File Upload leading to RCE
        • SQL Injection
        • Authentication Bypass
        • Data Exfiltration
    • Mitigation:
      • Regularly update all plugins and themes to the latest versions.
      • Only install plugins and themes from trusted sources.
      • Minimize the number of installed plugins and themes. Remove unused ones.
      • Conduct vulnerability scans of installed plugins and themes.
      • Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to help block known exploit attempts.

Attack Tree Path: 3. Leverage Weak Configuration/Deployment

  • 3.1 Predictable Admin URL / Default Credentials [CN][HR]:

    • Description: The attacker gains administrative access by using default credentials (e.g., "admin/admin") or by guessing a predictable admin URL (e.g., /backend, /admin). This is a critical node and a high-risk path due to its simplicity and high success rate if basic security practices are ignored.
    • Likelihood: High (if default settings are not changed), Very Low (if best practices are followed).
    • Impact: Very High (complete system compromise).
    • Effort: Very Low.
    • Skill Level: Beginner.
    • Detection Difficulty: Very Easy (easily detectable through automated scans and brute-force attempts).
    • Attack Steps:
      1. Attempt to access common backend URLs (e.g., /backend, /admin, /administrator).
      2. If a login page is found, try default credentials (e.g., "admin/admin", "admin/password", "user/password").
      3. If successful, the attacker gains full administrative access.
    • Mitigation:
      • Change default credentials immediately after installation. This is the most crucial step.
      • Rename the default backend URL to something less predictable.
      • Implement strong password policies.
      • Consider using multi-factor authentication (MFA) for administrative access.
      • Implement IP whitelisting to restrict access to the backend from specific IP addresses.
      • Monitor login attempts and block IP addresses with excessive failed login attempts.

  • 3.2 Weak File Permissions [HR]:

    • Description: Files and directories within the October CMS installation have overly permissive permissions. While not a direct path to full administrative access on its own, it's a critical enabler for many other attacks. It allows unauthorized access or modification of files, which can be leveraged in conjunction with other vulnerabilities.
    • Likelihood: Medium (common misconfiguration).
    • Impact: Low to High (depending on which files/directories are affected). Can enable other attacks, leading to RCE or data breaches.
    • Effort: Low.
    • Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate.
    • Detection Difficulty: Easy (detectable through file system analysis).
    • Attack Steps:
      1. Gain some level of access to the server (e.g., through a file upload vulnerability, a compromised plugin, or even a low-privileged user account).
      2. Exploit weak file permissions to:
        • Modify configuration files (e.g., to inject malicious code or change settings).
        • Overwrite critical system files.
        • Read sensitive data (e.g., database credentials).
        • Upload malicious files (e.g., web shells) to executable directories.
      3. Use the modified files or gained information to escalate privileges or further compromise the system.
    • Mitigation:
      • Set correct file permissions:
        • Directories: Generally 755 (owner: read/write/execute, group: read/execute, others: read/execute).
        • Files: Generally 644 (owner: read/write, group: read, others: read).
        • Configuration files (e.g., config/database.php): Should be even more restrictive, often 600 or 400 (owner: read/write or read-only, no access for group or others).
      • Ensure the web server user (e.g., www-data, apache, nginx) has the minimum necessary permissions.
      • Regularly audit file permissions to detect and correct any misconfigurations.
      • Use a security-hardened server configuration.