CVE-2021-32924 : Exploit Details and Defense Strategies

Invision Community (aka IPS Community Suite) before 4.6.0 is affected by a PHP code injection vulnerability, allowing moderators to execute eval-based PHP code due to unsafe interaction between certain methods.

Understanding CVE-2021-32924

This section will cover what CVE-2021-32924 is, its impact, technical details, and mitigation steps.

What is CVE-2021-32924?

CVE-2021-32924 refers to a PHP code injection vulnerability in Invision Community (IPS Community Suite) before version 4.6.0. This vulnerability enables moderators to execute eval-based PHP code due to unsafe interactions between specific methods.

The Impact of CVE-2021-32924

The vulnerability poses a significant risk as it allows unauthorized moderators to execute arbitrary PHP code on the affected system, potentially leading to unauthorized access and data manipulation.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-32924

This section will delve into the vulnerability description, affected systems, versions, and exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

Invision Community (IPS Community Suite) before version 4.6.0 is prone to eval-based PHP code injection due to unsafe method interactions, specifically between the IPS\cms\modules\front\pages_builder::previewBlock and IPS_Theme::runProcessFunction methods.

Affected Systems and Versions

All versions of Invision Community (IPS Community Suite) before 4.6.0 are impacted by this vulnerability.

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited by unauthorized moderators who can leverage the eval-based PHP code injection to execute malicious code on the target system.

Mitigation and Prevention

This section outlines immediate steps to take to secure systems, as well as long-term security practices and the importance of patching and updates.

Immediate Steps to Take

Organizations should immediately update Invision Community (IPS Community Suite) to version 4.6.0 or newer to mitigate the risk of PHP code injection by moderators.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implementing least privilege access, regular security audits, and secure coding practices can help prevent similar vulnerabilities in the future.

Patching and Updates

Regularly applying software patches and updates is essential to address known security issues and enhance the overall security posture of the system.