CVE-2008-1980 in E-Publish
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in E-Publish 5.x before 5.x-1.1 and 6.x before 6.x-1.0 beta1, a Drupal module, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/23/2018
The CVE-2008-1980 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in the E-Publish module for Drupal content management systems. This vulnerability affects versions 5.x prior to 5.x-1.1 and 6.x prior to 6.x-1.0 beta1, creating a significant security risk for Drupal installations that utilize this module. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output escaping mechanisms within the module's codebase, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content into web pages viewed by other users. The unspecified vectors suggest that the flaw could potentially be exploited through multiple entry points within the module's functionality, making it particularly challenging to defend against and remediate.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications. This classification indicates that the vulnerability occurs when user-supplied data is not properly sanitized before being rendered in web pages, creating opportunities for attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of other users' browsers. The E-Publish module's failure to adequately filter or escape user input means that any data submitted through its interfaces could be exploited to deliver malicious payloads. This weakness operates at the application layer and can be leveraged by attackers to steal session cookies, deface websites, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform other harmful actions that compromise the integrity and security of the affected Drupal installations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption or theft, as it can enable attackers to establish persistent access to compromised systems. When exploited, the XSS flaw allows remote attackers to inject malicious code that executes in the browsers of other users who view affected pages. This capability can lead to session hijacking, where attackers gain unauthorized access to user accounts, or facilitate more sophisticated attacks such as credential theft, data exfiltration, or the deployment of additional malware. The vulnerability's presence in widely used Drupal modules means that organizations using these versions face significant risk, particularly those with high-traffic websites or those handling sensitive user information. The attack surface is amplified because the flaw affects the core web application functionality rather than isolated components, potentially compromising entire website infrastructures.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term security hardening measures. Organizations should immediately upgrade to patched versions of the E-Publish module, specifically versions 5.x-1.1 and 6.x-1.0 beta1 or later, which contain the necessary input validation and output escaping fixes. System administrators should implement comprehensive input sanitization at multiple layers, including web application firewalls and content filtering mechanisms, to prevent malicious payloads from reaching the application. Additionally, the principle of least privilege should be enforced by ensuring that user input is properly escaped and validated before any processing occurs, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1068 which focuses on privilege escalation through web application vulnerabilities. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other Drupal modules or custom code implementations, while maintaining updated security patches for the entire Drupal platform ecosystem. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper security testing during module development and the need for comprehensive security reviews of third-party components before deployment in production environments.