1. Introduction
The Dolibarr passwordforgotten.php theme parameter is vulnerable to a local file inclusion attack. This means an attacker could potentially read arbitrary files on your server, leading to information disclosure or even remote code execution. Systems running the affected version of Dolibarr are at risk. Successful exploitation may compromise confidentiality, integrity and availability.
2. Technical Explanation
- Root cause: Insufficient input validation on the ‘theme’ parameter in ‘user/passwordforgotten.php’.
- Exploit mechanism: An attacker sends a crafted request to ‘user/passwordforgotten.php’ with a malicious ‘theme’ value pointing to a local file. For example,
http://example.com/user/passwordforgotten.php?theme=/etc/passwdcould attempt to read the system password file. - Scope: Dolibarr versions prior to a patched release are affected.
3. Detection and Assessment
You can confirm if your system is vulnerable by checking the installed Dolibarr version and examining the ‘user/passwordforgotten.php’ script for proper input sanitization.
- Quick checks: Check the Dolibarr version in the administration interface or by viewing the file
htdocs/core/version.php. - Logs and evidence: Look for suspicious requests containing ‘user/passwordforgotten.php’ with unusual ‘theme’ parameters in your web server access logs.
# Example command to check Dolibarr version (requires shell access)
cat htdocs/core/version.php | grep "version"
4. Solution / Remediation Steps
4.1 Preparation
- Consider stopping the web server service during the modification process.
- Roll back plan: Restore from backup if issues occur.
4.2 Implementation
- Step 1: Locate the ‘user/passwordforgotten.php’ file in your Dolibarr installation directory (typically htdocs/user/).
- Step 2: Open ‘user/passwordforgotten.php’ in a text editor.
- Step 3: Find the line of code where the ‘theme’ parameter is used to include a PHP file. This will likely involve an
includeorrequirestatement. - Step 5: Save the changes to ‘user/passwordforgotten.php’.
4.3 Config or Code Example
Before
After
4.4 Security Practices Relevant to This Vulnerability
Several security practices can help prevent this type of vulnerability.
- Practice 1: Input validation is crucial to block malicious data and prevent code injection attacks.
- Practice 2: Least privilege reduces the impact if an attacker successfully exploits a vulnerability, limiting their access to system resources.
4.5 Automation (Optional)
Automation may be possible using configuration management tools, but requires careful testing and validation. This example is for demonstration only.
# Example Ansible snippet (requires adaptation to your environment)
- name: Sanitize Dolibarr theme parameter
lineinfile:
path: /var/www/dolibarr/htdocs/user/passwordforgotten.php
regexp: 'include($theme);'
line: 'if (in_array($theme, $allowed_themes)) { include($theme); } else { error_log("Invalid theme requested: " . $theme); echo "Invalid theme."; }'
become: true
5. Verification / Validation
- Post-fix check: Attempt to access ‘user/passwordforgotten.php’ with a malicious theme parameter (e.g.,
http://example.com/user/passwordforgotten.php?theme=/etc/passwd). You should receive an error message or see no change in behavior. - Re-test: Repeat the earlier detection steps to confirm that the vulnerability is no longer present.
- Smoke test: Verify that legitimate password reset functionality still works as expected.
- Monitoring: Monitor your web server logs for any suspicious requests targeting ‘user/passwordforgotten.php’.
# Example command to attempt exploitation after fix (should fail)
curl -I http://example.com/user/passwordforgotten.php?theme=/etc/passwd
6. Preventive Measures and Monitoring
Implement security baselines and automated checks to prevent similar vulnerabilities in the future.
- Baselines: Update your security baseline or policy to include requirements for input validation and secure coding practices.
- Pipelines: Add Static Application Security Testing (SAST) tools to your CI/CD pipeline to identify potential vulnerabilities during development.
- Asset and patch process: Establish a regular patch review cycle to ensure timely application of security updates.
7. Risks, Side Effects, and Roll Back
Modifying the source code carries some risk. Incorrect changes could break functionality or introduce new vulnerabilities.
- Risk or side effect 1: Incorrectly modifying ‘user/passwordforgotten.php’ may cause the password reset feature to malfunction.
- Risk or side effect 2: Changes might be overwritten during future Dolibarr upgrades.
- Roll back: Restore the original ‘user/passwordforgotten.php’ file from your backup if issues occur.
8. References and Resources
Links to relevant resources for this vulnerability.
- Vendor advisory or bulletin: http://autosectools.com/Advisory/Dolibarr-3.0.0-Local-File-Inclusion-181