CVE-2025-55041: MuraCMS Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

CVE-2025-55041 Overview

CVE-2025-55041 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting MuraCMS through version 10.1.10. The vulnerability exists in the Add To Group functionality within the user management module, specifically in the cUsers.cfcaddToGroup method. This security flaw allows attackers to escalate privileges by adding any user to any group without proper authorization checks, enabling both horizontal and vertical privilege escalation.

Critical Impact

Attackers can exploit this CSRF vulnerability to add users to elevated groups including the admin group, resulting in unauthorized privilege escalation across the MuraCMS platform. While escalation to the Super Admins group (s2 user) is not possible, administrative access can still be gained.

Affected Products

• MuraCMS versions through 10.1.10
• MuraCMS installations with user management functionality enabled
• Web applications utilizing the cUsers.cfcaddToGroup method

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-18 - CVE CVE-2025-55041 published to NVD
• 2026-03-19 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-55041

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from a missing CSRF token validation in the addToGroup method within cUsers.cfc. When an authenticated administrator interacts with the user management functionality, the application fails to verify that requests originate from legitimate sources. The vulnerable function directly processes user-supplied userId and groupId parameters through the getUserManager().createUserInGorup() method without implementing anti-CSRF protections.

This CWE-352 (Cross-Site Request Forgery) weakness allows malicious websites to forge requests that automatically execute when an authenticated administrator visits a crafted page. The exploitation chain requires social engineering to lure an administrator to a malicious webpage while they maintain an active session with the MuraCMS application.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the absence of CSRF token validation in the addToGroup method. The cUsers.cfc component accepts and processes userId and groupId parameters without verifying that the request includes a valid anti-CSRF token. This architectural oversight means the application cannot distinguish between legitimate administrator actions and forged requests from external origins. The getUserManager().createUserInGorup() function call executes the group membership change without any request origin verification.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker must craft a malicious webpage containing a forged request targeting the vulnerable addToGroup endpoint. When an authenticated MuraCMS administrator with an active session visits the attacker-controlled page, the forged request is automatically submitted to the MuraCMS instance. The malicious request includes the attacker-controlled userId and groupId parameters, instructing the application to add a specified user to a target group. Since the session cookies are automatically included by the browser and no CSRF token validation occurs, the request is processed as if it were a legitimate administrative action.

The attacker can leverage this to escalate their own privileges by adding their user account to the admin group, or they can perform horizontal privilege escalation by adding users to other groups they shouldn't have access to. While the Super Admins (s2) group cannot be targeted through this vulnerability, administrative group access provides significant elevated capabilities.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-55041

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected user additions to administrative or elevated groups in MuraCMS audit logs
• HTTP requests to the addToGroup endpoint originating from external referrers
• Multiple group membership changes occurring in rapid succession without corresponding UI activity
• User accounts gaining elevated privileges without documented administrative actions

Detection Strategies

• Monitor HTTP request logs for cUsers.cfcaddToGroup method calls with suspicious or missing referrer headers
• Implement web application firewall rules to detect and alert on cross-origin requests to user management endpoints
• Enable detailed audit logging for all group membership modifications in MuraCMS
• Deploy behavioral analytics to identify anomalous administrative actions patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Review MuraCMS user management audit logs regularly for unauthorized privilege changes
• Configure alerts for any modifications to group memberships, particularly the admin group
• Monitor for external referrers in requests to sensitive administrative endpoints
• Implement session monitoring to detect potential CSRF exploitation attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-55041

Immediate Actions Required

• Update MuraCMS to a patched version that includes CSRF token validation (refer to Mura Software Release Notes v10.1.4)
• Restrict access to MuraCMS administrative interfaces to trusted networks only
• Educate administrators about the risks of visiting untrusted websites while logged into MuraCMS
• Review and audit current group memberships to identify any unauthorized privilege escalations

Patch Information

MuraCMS has released security updates to address this vulnerability. Administrators should consult the Mura Software Release Notes for version-specific patch information and upgrade instructions. The patch implements proper CSRF token validation for the addToGroup method and other sensitive user management functions.

Workarounds

• Implement network-level access controls to limit administrative interface access to trusted IP ranges
• Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) with CSRF protection rules for the MuraCMS administrative endpoints
• Configure Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict form submissions to same-origin requests
• Use separate browser sessions or profiles for administrative tasks to minimize CSRF exposure

# Example WAF rule to block suspicious addToGroup requests (ModSecurity)
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains cUsers.cfc" \
    "id:100001,phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'Potential CSRF attempt on user management',\
    chain"
SecRule REQUEST_HEADERS:Referer "!@contains yourdomain.com"