CVE-2008-3097 in Tinytax Taxonomy Block Module
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Tinytax module (aka Tinytax taxonomy block) 5.x before 5.x-1.10-1 for Drupal allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML, probably by creating a crafted taxonomy term.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/21/2017
The CVE-2008-3097 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Tinytax module for Drupal version 5.x prior to 5.x-1.10-1. This vulnerability specifically affects the Tinytax taxonomy block component, which is designed to display taxonomy terms in a user-friendly manner within Drupal websites. The flaw enables authenticated users to execute malicious scripts through crafted taxonomy terms, potentially compromising the security of entire web applications that rely on this module. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is a fundamental web application security weakness that allows attackers to inject client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of taxonomy term creation functionality within the Tinytax module. When an authenticated user creates a taxonomy term containing malicious script code, this content is subsequently rendered in the taxonomy block without proper sanitization or output encoding. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output escaping mechanisms within the module's processing pipeline. Attackers can leverage this weakness to inject malicious JavaScript code, HTML content, or other harmful payloads that execute in the context of other users' browsers who view the affected taxonomy terms. This creates a persistent threat vector that can be used to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of users, or redirect them to malicious websites.
The operational impact of CVE-2008-3097 extends beyond simple script injection, as it represents a significant security risk for Drupal-based websites that utilize the Tinytax module. The vulnerability affects authenticated users, meaning that even legitimate site contributors can potentially exploit this weakness to compromise other users' sessions. This creates an insidious attack vector where malicious actors can gain access to sensitive data, modify content, or perform unauthorized administrative actions depending on the privileges of the compromised users. The attack surface is particularly concerning because taxonomy terms are often used for content organization and display, making them frequently viewed by multiple users. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for credential access through social engineering and T1059.007 for scripting through JavaScript execution, demonstrating how XSS vulnerabilities can serve as initial access vectors for more sophisticated attacks.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement multiple mitigation strategies to protect their Drupal installations. The primary remediation involves upgrading to Tinytax module version 5.x-1.10-1 or later, which includes proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. Additionally, administrators should implement comprehensive input validation for all taxonomy term creation processes, ensuring that all user-supplied content undergoes strict sanitization before being stored or rendered. The implementation of Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can provide an additional layer of protection against script execution, while regular security audits of contributed modules should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing Web Application Firewall rules that can detect and block suspicious script injection patterns, particularly in taxonomy-related endpoints. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date third-party modules and the necessity of thorough security testing for all components within web application ecosystems, as outlined in industry standards such as OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks.