CVE-2016-3165: Drupal/core Drupal Form API Ignores Access Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4gh5-3hqj-x3pj
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-284
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-3165 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) drupal form api ignores access vulnerability (CWE-284: Improper Access Control) affecting Drupal/core libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves drupal form api ignores access restrictions on submit buttons. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 6.38.

CVE-2016-3165 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-3165
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4gh5-3hqj-x3pj
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-284: Improper Access Control
Affected Product Drupal/core
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2016-3165

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

drupal/core fixed: 6.38 
Upgrade drupal/core to 6.38
drupal/drupal fixed: 6.38 
Upgrade drupal/drupal to 6.38
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 drupal/core

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2016-3165, inspect your project dependencies for Drupal/core:

inspect dependencies for drupal/core

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Drupal/core in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 6.38), 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-284: Improper Access Control, where the product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor. In Drupal/core, 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

The Form API in Drupal 6.x before 6.38 ignores access restrictions on submit buttons, which might allow remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions by leveraging permission to submit a form with a button that has "#access" set to FALSE in the server-side form definition.

CVE-2016-3165 Affected Drupal/core Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
6.38
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
drupal/core
 Packagist
≥ 6.0
< 6.38
6.38
drupal/drupal
 Packagist
≥ 6.0
< 6.38
6.38

References

NVD — CVE-2016-3165 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-3165
Drupal/core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/drupal/core/CVE-2016-3165.yaml
Drupal/core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/drupal/drupal/CVE-2016-3165.yaml
Drupal/core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/drupal/core
www.drupal.org/sa-core-2016-001 WEB
https://www.drupal.org/SA-CORE-2016-001
Drupal/core Security Information SECURITY
http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3498
Drupal/core Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/02/24/19
Drupal/core Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/03/15/10

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-3165?
CVE-2016-3165 is a security vulnerability in Drupal/core involving Drupal Form API ignores access restrictions on submit buttons under CWE-284: Improper Access Control.
Which Drupal/core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 6.38 across affected packages: drupal/core, drupal/drupal.
What version fixes CVE-2016-3165?
Upgrading to 6.38 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is drupal/core affected?
Yes, drupal/core is affected in releases prior to 6.38. Upgrade your dependency to 6.38 or later.
Is drupal/drupal affected?
Yes, drupal/drupal is affected in releases prior to 6.38. Upgrade your dependency to 6.38 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-3165?
CVE-2016-3165 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-3165?
CVE-2016-3165 is classified under CWE-284: Improper Access Control (The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2016-3165?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for drupal/core'. 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-4gh5-3hqj-x3pj",
  "modified" : "2024-04-23T22:28:45Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T03:57:19Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-3165" ],
  "summary" : "Drupal Form API ignores access restrictions on submit buttons",
  "details" : "The Form API in Drupal 6.x before 6.38 ignores access restrictions on submit buttons, which might allow remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions by leveraging permission to submit a form with a button that has \"#access\" set to FALSE in the server-side form definition.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "drupal/core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "6.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "6.38"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "drupal/drupal"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "6.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "6.38"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-3165"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/drupal/core/CVE-2016-3165.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/drupal/drupal/CVE-2016-3165.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/drupal/core"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.drupal.org/SA-CORE-2016-001"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3498"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/02/24/19"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/03/15/10"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-284" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-04-23T22:28:45Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2016-04-12T15:59:00Z"
  }
}