Joomla Open User Registration Scanner

Joomla is an open-source content management system used to create and manage web content, designed for small businesses, non-profits, and large organizations. Its extensive features, user-friendly interface, and flexibility make it popular among web developers and businesses. Joomla's plugin architecture and template system allow for extensive customization and ease of use. The platform supports a variety of content types, providing a robust framework for developers to build websites that require frequent updates or user interaction. Joomla is used worldwide by millions to power everything from simple personal websites to complex corporate applications. Its large, active community ensures ongoing updates and security enhancements.

The Open User Registration vulnerability arises when Joomla's user registration feature is enabled, allowing anyone to create accounts on a site. This can leave a website vulnerable to unauthorized access, especially if user roles and permissions are not properly managed. Spam accounts may be created en masse, potentially overwhelming site resources or being used for malicious purposes. The vulnerability is significant as it often leads to account enumeration and can be exploited in executing further attacks on the site. It compromises the privacy and security of registered users, exposing sensitive data. Mitigating this vulnerability is critical for maintaining site integrity and user trust.

Technical details about the vulnerability include the accessible endpoint, which is '/index.php?option=com_users&view=registration', and specific parameters in HTML forms that confirm registration is enabled. The Joomla site must respond with a status code '200' and include specific strings in its HTML body such as "com_users," "registration," and HTML form elements like "jform[name]" or "jform[username]." This information confirms the presence of the Open User Registration feature, which, if not configured securely, poses a risk. Detecting this configuration allows site administrators to evaluate security settings and ensure they align with organizational policies.

Exploiting the Open User Registration vulnerability can lead to severe consequences such as unauthorized account access and the creation of multiple spam accounts. These accounts can be used to conduct malicious activities like phishing attacks, sending spam, or launching further attacks against other users or systems. It can also result in resource strain due to the processing of unnecessary registrations. In some cases, it may lead to reduced site performance or even downtime. Unauthorized access can compromise sensitive data, leading to potential data breaches and negatively impacting the organization's reputation.

REFERENCES

• https://docs.joomla.org/J3.x:Users/en
• https://www.doctorjoomla.com/15-joomla/100-disable-user-registration