IP Spoofing Bypass in pH7Builder CMS

Executive Summary

This vulnerability in pH7Builder allows an attacker to bypass the admin login brute-force protection by spoofing the client IP address. The application reads the IP from HTTP headers like X-Forwarded-For without verifying if the request comes from a trusted proxy. This lets an attacker reset the failed login attempt counter with each request, enabling unlimited password guessing attempts.

Useful 0 Not Useful 0

Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability, monitor admin login attempts in pH7Builder logs for repeated failures from the same IP address. Check if the HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR header is being used to track attempts. Look for patterns where the IP address changes with each request, which may indicate exploitation.

Useful 0 Not Useful 0

Impact Analysis

If you use pH7Builder versions up to 18.2.0, an attacker could exploit this to gain unauthorized access to your admin account by bypassing IP-based rate limiting. This could lead to data breaches, unauthorized modifications to your site, or complete takeover of your dating platform.

Useful 0 Not Useful 0

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to personal data, violating GDPR's data protection requirements and HIPAA's safeguards for protected health information. Organizations using affected versions may face compliance failures, legal penalties, and reputational damage due to potential data breaches.

Useful 0 Not Useful 0

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade pH7Builder to version 18.3.0 or later to address the issue. If upgrading is not immediately possible, implement network-level rate limiting or IP-based throttling at the firewall or web server level. Disable or restrict access to the admin login page via IP whitelisting if feasible.

Useful 0 Not Useful 0