CVE-2021-41074: QloApps Hotel eCommerce CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2021-41074 Overview

CVE-2021-41074 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting QloApps hotel eCommerce version 1.5.1. The flaw exists in the index.php file and allows an attacker to change the administrator's email address through a specially crafted HTML document. By tricking an authenticated administrator into visiting a malicious page, an attacker can hijack account recovery mechanisms and potentially gain full administrative control over the hotel booking platform.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation enables attackers to modify admin credentials, potentially leading to complete account takeover and unauthorized access to sensitive hotel booking data, customer information, and financial records.

Affected Products

• QloApps Hotel eCommerce 1.5.1
• QloApps index.php administrative interface

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-01-12 - CVE CVE-2021-41074 published to NVD
• 2026-01-13 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2021-41074

Vulnerability Analysis

This CSRF vulnerability (CWE-352) occurs due to insufficient validation of request origins in the QloApps administrative interface. The application fails to implement proper anti-CSRF tokens or origin verification when processing email address modification requests. This allows attackers to craft malicious HTML pages that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, automatically submit forged requests to change the admin's email address without their knowledge or consent.

The attack requires user interaction—specifically, the administrator must be authenticated to the QloApps platform and then visit an attacker-controlled website or click a malicious link. Since the vulnerability targets email address modification, successful exploitation can lead to complete account takeover by allowing the attacker to initiate password reset procedures to the newly configured email address.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms in the index.php file when handling admin profile modification requests. The application does not verify that requests originate from legitimate user actions within the application, nor does it implement anti-CSRF tokens to validate the authenticity of state-changing requests.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker must craft a malicious HTML document containing a hidden form or JavaScript that automatically submits a request to change the administrator's email address. The attack flow typically involves:

1. Attacker creates a malicious webpage containing a forged request targeting the vulnerable endpoint
2. Attacker delivers the malicious link to the target administrator via phishing email, social engineering, or embedding in a compromised website
3. When the authenticated administrator visits the malicious page, the browser automatically sends the forged request with the admin's session cookies
4. The QloApps server processes the request, changing the admin email to an attacker-controlled address
5. Attacker uses password reset functionality to gain access to the admin account

For detailed technical information and proof-of-concept, refer to the GitHub PoC Repository.

Detection Methods for CVE-2021-41074

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected changes to administrator email addresses in the QloApps database
• Administrative email modification requests originating from external referrers or unusual origins
• Password reset requests immediately following email address changes
• Unusual login activity from new IP addresses after account modifications

Detection Strategies

• Monitor access logs for requests to admin profile modification endpoints without proper referrer headers
• Implement alerting on administrative email address changes outside of normal business workflows
• Review web server logs for patterns indicative of CSRF attacks, such as requests with external or missing referrer headers
• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block requests lacking anti-CSRF tokens

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for all administrative account modification actions
• Set up real-time alerts for changes to administrator credentials or email addresses
• Implement session monitoring to detect simultaneous access from multiple geographic locations
• Configure SIEM rules to correlate admin email changes with subsequent password reset attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2021-41074

Immediate Actions Required

• Audit all administrator accounts for unauthorized email address changes
• Implement Web Application Firewall rules to require valid referrer headers on sensitive endpoints
• Consider temporarily restricting administrative access to trusted IP addresses
• Enable two-factor authentication for all administrative accounts if available
• Review QloApps access logs for evidence of prior exploitation

Patch Information

Check the QloApps official website for updated versions that address this vulnerability. Upgrade to a patched version of QloApps that implements proper CSRF protection mechanisms. If no official patch is available, implement the workarounds described below until a fix is released.

Workarounds

• Implement custom anti-CSRF tokens on all state-changing forms in the administrative interface
• Configure the web server or reverse proxy to validate the Origin and Referer headers on sensitive requests
• Use the SameSite cookie attribute set to Strict or Lax to prevent cookies from being sent with cross-site requests
• Restrict administrative interface access to a VPN or specific trusted IP ranges
• Implement re-authentication requirements for sensitive account modifications like email changes

Administrators should implement CSRF protection by adding anti-CSRF tokens to forms. The configuration involves ensuring all state-changing requests include and validate a unique, unpredictable token tied to the user's session. Additionally, configure cookie security attributes in your web server configuration to mitigate cross-site request attacks.