CVE-2008-3923 in CMME
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in statistics.php in Content Management Made Easy (CMME) 1.12 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) page and (2) year parameters in an hstat_year action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/03/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-3923 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness in Content Management Made Easy version 1.12, specifically within the statistics.php file. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security flaws. The flaw manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user input parameters, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it affects the core statistical reporting functionality of the CMS, which is likely accessed by administrators and users with varying privilege levels.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through two specific parameters within the hstat_year action of the statistics.php script. The page and year parameters serve as injection points where unfiltered user input is directly incorporated into the web response without proper sanitization or encoding. When an attacker crafts malicious input containing script tags or other HTML content and submits it through these parameters, the vulnerable application processes this input and reflects it back to users without adequate security measures. This creates a persistent XSS vector that can be leveraged to execute malicious code in the context of the victim's browser, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it compromises the integrity and security of the entire CMS environment. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to administrative functions, manipulate statistical data, or even escalate privileges within the application. The attack surface is particularly broad since statistical pages often contain sensitive information and are frequently accessed by authenticated users. This vulnerability also demonstrates poor input validation practices that violate fundamental web security principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten, specifically targeting the prevention of XSS attacks through proper output encoding and input sanitization. The vulnerability affects not just individual users but the entire user base of the CMS, as any user who views the affected statistical pages becomes a potential victim of the XSS attack.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-3923 should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. The most effective immediate fix involves sanitizing all user-provided input parameters before they are processed or displayed, particularly the page and year parameters in the statistics.php file. Implementing proper HTML encoding for all dynamic content output helps prevent script execution in browser contexts. Additionally, the application should employ Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution and prevent unauthorized code injection. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other parts of the application. Organizations using CMME version 1.12 should prioritize upgrading to a patched version or implementing web application firewalls to protect against exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of following secure coding practices as outlined in the ATT&CK framework for web application security, specifically addressing the execution of malicious code through XSS vectors and the importance of maintaining secure input/output handling throughout the application lifecycle.