CVE-2008-6229 in Content Construction Kit
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the administrative interface in Drupal Content Construction Kit (CCK) 5.x before 5.x-1.10 and 6.x before 6.x-2.0, a module for Drupal, allows remote authenticated users with "administer content" permissions to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via (1) field labels and (2) content-type names.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/21/2019
The CVE-2008-6229 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Drupal Content Construction Kit module, specifically affecting versions prior to 5.x-1.10 and 6.x-2.0. This vulnerability resides within the administrative interface of Drupal, making it particularly dangerous as it targets privileged users who possess administrative capabilities. The flaw allows authenticated users with the specific permission "administer content" to execute malicious scripts through carefully crafted input within field labels and content-type names. This represents a significant security risk as it leverages the trust relationship between the system and its administrators, potentially enabling attackers to escalate their privileges or compromise the entire Drupal installation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization within the CCK module's administrative components. When administrators create or modify field labels and content-type names, the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before rendering it in the web interface. This inadequate sanitization creates an opening for malicious scripts to be injected and subsequently executed in the context of other users' browsers who access the administrative interface. The vulnerability specifically affects the rendering of user-provided data without proper HTML escaping or script filtering, which directly violates established security principles for preventing XSS attacks. This flaw aligns with CWE-79, which categorizes cross-site scripting as a critical weakness in web applications where user input is improperly validated or escaped before being rendered in web pages.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable sophisticated attack vectors that compromise the entire Drupal platform. An attacker with administrative privileges can craft malicious content-type names or field labels that, when viewed by other administrators, execute malicious JavaScript code in their browsers. This code could potentially steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or even execute arbitrary commands on the affected systems. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates within the administrative context, meaning that successful exploitation could allow attackers to modify content, create new users, or even install malicious modules. The attack requires only authentication with administrative permissions, making it accessible to insiders or compromised accounts with sufficient privileges, and the impact can be devastating to the organization's digital assets and user trust.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-6229 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Drupal CCK modules to versions 5.x-1.10 or 6.x-2.0, which contain the necessary security fixes. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures including enhanced input validation at multiple layers, regular security audits of administrative interfaces, and monitoring for suspicious administrative activities. The principle of least privilege should be enforced by ensuring that only essential personnel have administrative access to content management systems, reducing the attack surface for such vulnerabilities. Security teams should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers and regular security scanning of web applications to identify similar vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date software components and the potential for administrative privilege escalation through seemingly minor security flaws, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1548.001 for abuse of privileges, as attackers can leverage legitimate administrative access to execute malicious code within the application environment.