CVE-2007-3672 in DotClear
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in ecrire/tools.php in DotClear 1.2.6 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified form fields on the blogroll page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/12/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-3672 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the DotClear blogging platform version 1.2.6. This security weakness resides in the ecrire/tools.php component and specifically affects the blogroll page functionality where user input is not properly sanitized or validated. The vulnerability enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions on behalf of victims. The flaw demonstrates a classic XSS vulnerability pattern where untrusted data flows directly into web pages without adequate sanitization mechanisms, creating an attack surface that can be exploited by malicious actors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding practices within the DotClear application's form processing logic. When users interact with the blogroll page, data entered into unspecified form fields is directly incorporated into the web response without proper HTML escaping or script validation. This allows attackers to inject malicious payloads that execute in the victim's browser context, leveraging the trust relationship between the user and the vulnerable application. The vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws in software applications. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it operates through legitimate user interaction with the platform's administrative interface, making detection more challenging and exploitation more likely.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to DotClear installations and their users. Attackers could leverage this flaw to steal administrative sessions, modify blog content, or redirect users to malicious websites. The impact extends beyond simple data theft as the vulnerability could enable persistent attacks through stored XSS mechanisms where malicious scripts remain embedded in the application's data stores. Organizations using DotClear 1.2.6 would be particularly vulnerable since this version predates numerous security hardening practices that became standard in later releases. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which focuses on establishing persistence through malicious scripts and T1566 which covers social engineering via malicious web content, demonstrating how this flaw could be weaponized in broader attack campaigns.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of the DotClear platform to version 1.2.7 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation mechanisms that sanitize all user-supplied data before processing, particularly for form fields that interact with the blogroll functionality. Web application firewalls can provide additional protection layers by detecting and blocking malicious script patterns in incoming requests. Security teams should also conduct thorough code reviews of the ecrire/tools.php component to identify similar input handling issues that may exist elsewhere in the application. The vulnerability highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and implementing proper output encoding as recommended in OWASP Top 10 security guidelines. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be performed to identify similar issues in legacy applications that may not receive ongoing security updates.