CVE-2008-1306 in Savvy Content Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Savvy Content Manager (CM) allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the searchterms parameter to (1) searchresults.cfm, (2) search_results.cfm, and (3) search_results/index.cfm. NOTE: the provenance of this information is unknown; the details are obtained solely from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/07/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-1306 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Savvy Content Manager, a web-based content management system that was widely deployed in enterprise environments during the late 2000s. This vulnerability resides in the search functionality of the application, specifically affecting three distinct endpoints that handle search result rendering. The flaw manifests when user-supplied input is not properly sanitized or encoded before being rendered back to the browser, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary scripts within the context of authenticated users' sessions.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through manipulation of the searchterms parameter which is processed by the three affected files: searchresults.cfm, search_results.cfm, and search_results/index.cfm. When an attacker crafts a malicious payload and submits it through the search interface, the application fails to adequately validate or escape the input before incorporating it into dynamic web content. This allows attackers to inject HTML tags and JavaScript code that executes in the victim's browser, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability is classified as a classic reflected XSS attack pattern where the malicious input is immediately reflected back to the user without proper sanitization.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to organizations using Savvy Content Manager as it enables remote code execution within user browsers without requiring authentication. Attackers can leverage this weakness to steal session cookies, perform actions on behalf of authenticated users, or redirect victims to phishing sites that appear legitimate. The impact extends beyond simple data theft as the vulnerability can be used to establish persistent access patterns through browser-based attacks. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious web content.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied data, particularly search parameters. The recommended approach involves implementing proper HTML entity encoding for all dynamic content generated from user input, which prevents malicious scripts from executing in the browser context. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts can be loaded. System administrators should also consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious search patterns, and conduct comprehensive security testing of all web applications to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components. The remediation process requires careful attention to ensure that all search functionality properly sanitizes input while maintaining the application's core functionality and user experience.