CVE-2020-5501: Phpbb/phpbb PhpBB Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-cpqc-g4r8-6hxg
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CVSS 4.3
CWE-352
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-5501 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.3) phpbb cross-site request forgery (csrf) vulnerability (CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)) affecting Phpbb/phpbb libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves phpbb cross-site request forgery (csrf). Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.2.9.

CVE-2020-5501 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-5501
GHSA Identifier GHSA-cpqc-g4r8-6hxg
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.3
CWE Classification CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
Affected Product Phpbb/phpbb
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.3

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2020-5501

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Phpbb/phpbb dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

phpbb/phpbb fixed: 3.2.9 
Upgrade phpbb/phpbb to 3.2.9
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for phpbb/phpbb

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2020-5501, inspect your project dependencies for Phpbb/phpbb:

inspect dependencies for phpbb/phpbb

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Phpbb/phpbb in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.2.9), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), where the web application does not, or cannot, sufficiently verify whether a request was intentionally provided by the user who sent the request, which could have originated from an unauthorized actor. In Phpbb/phpbb, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

phpBB 3.2.8 allows a CSRF attack that can modify a group avatar.

CVE-2020-5501 Affected Phpbb/phpbb Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.2.9
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
phpbb/phpbb
 Packagist
≥ 3.2.8
< 3.2.9
All 1 versions
3.2.8
3.2.9

References

NVD — CVE-2020-5501 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-5501
Phpbb/phpbb Security Information SECURITY
https://blog.phpbb.com/category/security
Phpbb/phpbb Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/phpbb/phpbb-app
www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopic... WEB
https://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2534536

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-5501?
CVE-2020-5501 is a security vulnerability in Phpbb/phpbb involving phpBB Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) under CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF).
Which Phpbb/phpbb versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.2.9 across affected packages: phpbb/phpbb.
What version fixes CVE-2020-5501?
Upgrading to 3.2.9 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is phpbb/phpbb affected?
Yes, phpbb/phpbb is affected in releases prior to 3.2.9. Upgrade your dependency to 3.2.9 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-5501?
CVE-2020-5501 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-5501?
CVE-2020-5501 is classified under CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) (The web application does not, or cannot, sufficiently verify whether a request was intentionally provided by the user who sent the request, which could have originated from an unauthorized actor.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2020-5501?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for phpbb/phpbb'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-cpqc-g4r8-6hxg",
  "modified" : "2024-04-24T17:44:37Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T17:06:46Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-5501" ],
  "summary" : "phpBB Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)",
  "details" : "phpBB 3.2.8 allows a CSRF attack that can modify a group avatar.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "phpbb/phpbb"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.2.8"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.2.9"
      } ]
    } ],
    "versions" : [ "3.2.8" ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-5501"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://blog.phpbb.com/category/security"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/phpbb/phpbb-app"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2534536"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-352" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-04-24T17:44:37Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-01-15T00:15:00Z"
  }
}