Casdoor 2.55.0 Vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) Attack

Casdoor 2.55.0 Affected by Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) Vulnerability

Security researchers have identified a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Casdoor version 2.55.0, an open-source identity and access management (IAM) platform. The flaw, tracked under CVE-2024-XXXX (pending assignment), allows attackers to execute unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users by tricking them into submitting malicious requests.

Technical Details

The vulnerability stems from the lack of CSRF tokens in critical HTTP requests, particularly those handling user account modifications. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious links or forms that, when interacted with by a logged-in user, perform unintended actions such as:

• Modifying user account settings
• Changing passwords or email addresses
• Escalating privileges (if combined with other vulnerabilities)

The exploit (published on Exploit-DB as #52432) demonstrates how an attacker could forge requests to alter user profiles without the victim’s knowledge. No user interaction beyond visiting a compromised or malicious site is required for exploitation.

Impact Analysis

Organizations using Casdoor 2.55.0 for authentication or IAM face significant risks, including:

• Unauthorized account takeovers if attackers modify credentials or permissions.
• Data breaches if sensitive user information is altered or exfiltrated.
• Reputation damage due to compromised security controls.

The vulnerability is particularly concerning for enterprises relying on Casdoor for single sign-on (SSO) or multi-factor authentication (MFA), as it could undermine foundational security layers.

Recommendations

1. Immediate Patch Deployment: Upgrade to the latest version of Casdoor (if available) or apply the vendor-provided fix. Monitor the Casdoor GitHub repository for updates.
2. Mitigation Strategies:
   • Implement CSRF tokens for all state-changing requests (e.g., POST, PUT, DELETE).
   • Enforce SameSite cookie attributes to restrict cross-origin requests.
   • Deploy web application firewalls (WAFs) to filter malicious traffic.
3. User Awareness: Train users to recognize phishing attempts and avoid clicking suspicious links while logged into Casdoor.
4. Monitor for Exploitation: Review logs for unusual account modifications or unauthorized access attempts.

Security teams should prioritize this vulnerability due to its potential to facilitate lateral movement or privilege escalation in targeted attacks. Further details, including proof-of-concept (PoC) code, are available in the Exploit-DB entry.