CVE-2019-12161 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

WebPageTest 19.04 is vulnerable to SSRF due to inadequate validation of URLs, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate requests.

Understanding CVE-2019-12161

This CVE identifies a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in WebPageTest 19.04, impacting its URL validation process.

What is CVE-2019-12161?

The SSRF vulnerability in WebPageTest 19.04 arises from the ValidateURL function in www/runtest.php failing to account for octal encoded IP addresses.

The Impact of CVE-2019-12161

The vulnerability could be exploited by attackers to make the application perform unauthorized requests, potentially leading to sensitive data exposure or unauthorized access.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-12161

WebPageTest 19.04's SSRF vulnerability is detailed below:

Vulnerability Description

The ValidateURL function in www/runtest.php does not properly handle octal encoded IP addresses, allowing attackers to manipulate URLs.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: WebPageTest 19.04
Vendor: N/A
Version: N/A

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by providing octal encoded IP addresses in URLs, tricking the application into making unintended requests.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2019-12161, consider the following steps:

Immediate Steps to Take

Implement input validation to block octal encoded IP addresses.
Regularly monitor and analyze outgoing requests for suspicious activity.

Long-Term Security Practices

Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing.
Educate developers on secure coding practices to prevent SSRF vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches or updates provided by WebPageTest to fix the SSRF vulnerability.