GHSA-rw74-vc9h-534j
LOWGHSA-rw74-vc9h-534j is a low-severity (CVSS 3.5) vulnerability in admidio/admidio. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-rw74-vc9h-534j is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Admidio has CSRF on Admin Preferences that Triggers Unauthorized Backup, .htaccess Write, and Email Send
Real-World Exposure
admidio/admidioReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Packagist packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Summary
Several administrative operations in Admidio's preferences module (database backup, test email, htaccess generation) fire via GET requests with no CSRF token validation. Because SameSite=Lax cookies travel with top-level GET navigations, an attacker forces an authenticated admin to trigger these actions from a malicious page.
Details
In modules/preferences.php, the backup, test_email, and htaccess modes accept GET parameters with no CSRF token check:
// modules/preferences.php - backup mode
case 'backup':
// Creates full database dump and serves as download
// No CSRF token validation
$backupFile = $gDb->backup();
// ... sends file to client
break;
case 'test_email':
// Sends test email from the server
// No CSRF token validation
break;
case 'htaccess':
// Writes .htaccess file to disk
// No CSRF token validation
break;
The save mode in the same file validates CSRF via getFormObject(), confirming the developers intended CSRF protection but did not apply it to these other modes.
Because these are GET requests, SameSite=Lax browsers include session cookies on top-level cross-origin navigations, making CSRF exploitation trivial.
Proof of Concept
Simplified attacker page (csrf.html hosted on attacker origin):
<html>
<body>
<h1>Loading...</h1>
<!-- Trigger backup creation on victim's browser -->
<script>window.location = 'https://target-admidio.example.com/adm_program/modules/preferences.php?mode=backup';</script>
</body>
</html>
When an administrator visits this page, the browser navigates to the Admidio backup URL with full session cookies. The server generates a database dump and serves it as a download to the victim's browser. Note: the backup downloads to the victim's machine, not to the attacker. The attacker cannot read the response cross-origin.
For htaccess mode, the CSRF overwrites the .htaccess file on the server, disrupting the application. For test_email mode, it triggers email sends from the server, which an attacker can abuse for spam or to probe internal email infrastructure.
Impact
An attacker tricks an Admidio administrator into visiting a malicious page that triggers state-changing operations on the server:
- Backup creation: forces the server to generate a full database dump. The backup downloads to the victim's browser, not to the attacker. However, repeated backup triggers can cause disk I/O and storage pressure on the server.
- htaccess modification: overwrites the server's
.htaccessfile, breaking URL routing or disabling security headers. - Test email: fires email sends from the server, usable as a spam relay or to probe internal mail configuration.
The core issue is that state-changing operations run via unprotected GET requests. The victim only needs to visit a single attacker-controlled page while logged in.
Recommended Fix
- Change
backup,test_email, andhtaccessoperations to require POST requests. - Add CSRF token validation using the existing
getFormObject()mechanism. - As defense in depth, set
SameSite=Stricton session cookies or add a confirmation step for destructive operations like database backup.
Found by aisafe.io
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | admidio/admidio | all versions | 5.0.9 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for admidio/admidio. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update admidio/admidio to 5.0.9 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-rw74-vc9h-534j is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-rw74-vc9h-534j is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-rw74-vc9h-534j. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-rw74-vc9h-534j in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-rw74-vc9h-534j across Packagist dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.