CVE-2008-4079 in Movable Type
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Movable Type (MT) 4.x through 4.20, and 3.36 and earlier; Movable Type Enterprise 4.x through 4.20, and 1.54 and earlier; and Movable Type Community Solution allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/30/2017
The CVE-2008-4079 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting multiple versions of Movable Type content management systems including both the standard and enterprise editions. This vulnerability resides within the web application's input validation mechanisms and allows remote attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The flaw impacts versions 4.x through 4.20 and 3.36 and earlier for the standard edition, while the enterprise version is affected from 4.x through 4.20 and 1.54 and earlier, indicating a widespread issue across the product line. The vulnerability's classification as a persistent XSS vector means that malicious code can be stored on the server and executed whenever users access affected pages, making it particularly dangerous for content management systems that handle user-generated content or administrative interfaces.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of user input within the Movable Type platform's processing pipeline. Attackers can exploit this weakness by submitting malicious payloads through unspecified vectors that likely include form fields, URL parameters, or other user-controllable inputs that are not properly escaped or validated before being rendered in web pages. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple script injection as it can be leveraged to execute arbitrary HTML code, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious content injection. The persistence of the vulnerability across multiple versions suggests a fundamental flaw in the input handling architecture rather than a single isolated incident.
The operational impact of CVE-2008-4079 is severe for organizations relying on Movable Type platforms, as it provides attackers with a direct path to compromise user sessions and potentially gain administrative access to the content management system. Given that Movable Type is commonly used for web publishing and blog management, the attack surface includes not only the public-facing website but also administrative interfaces where privileged users manage content. Successful exploitation could result in unauthorized content modification, data theft, or complete system compromise depending on the privileges of the compromised user. The vulnerability's presence in both community and enterprise editions indicates that organizations of all sizes using Movable Type are at risk, though enterprise users may face additional exposure due to the higher privilege levels typically associated with enterprise editions. The long window of vulnerability across multiple versions suggests that many organizations may have been exposed for extended periods without awareness of the security risk.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-4079 should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to the latest available versions that address the XSS vulnerability. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent similar issues in the future, following established security practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten. Web application firewalls should be configured to detect and block suspicious script injection attempts, while regular security audits should be conducted to identify potential input validation gaps. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing content security policies to limit script execution capabilities and establish proper access controls for administrative interfaces. The vulnerability's classification as a persistent XSS flaw emphasizes the importance of regular security assessments and vulnerability management processes to ensure that security patches are applied promptly across all affected systems. Given the age of this vulnerability and its widespread impact, organizations should also consider migrating to more modern content management systems with better security track records and active maintenance support.