CVE-2008-6681 in Dojo
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in dijit.Editor in Dojo before 1.1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via XML entities in a TEXTAREA element.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/17/2015
The CVE-2008-6681 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the dijit.Editor component of the Dojo Toolkit framework prior to version 1.1. This vulnerability specifically targets the handling of XML entities within TEXTAREA elements, creating a pathway for remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of affected web applications. The vulnerability resides in the client-side JavaScript library's text editing functionality, which is widely used in enterprise web applications and content management systems. The flaw demonstrates how seemingly benign input processing can become a vector for sophisticated attacks when proper sanitization mechanisms are absent or inadequate.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the improper handling of XML entities within the dijit.Editor's text processing pipeline. When a user inputs text containing XML entities into a TEXTAREA element that is managed by the editor component, the framework fails to properly sanitize or escape these entities before rendering them in the browser context. This allows attackers to embed malicious JavaScript code or HTML content that gets executed when other users view the processed content. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it leverages the legitimate functionality of the editor component, making it difficult to distinguish between benign and malicious input at runtime. The flaw operates at the application layer and requires no special privileges or authentication to exploit, making it accessible to any remote attacker with knowledge of the target application's structure.
The operational impact of CVE-2008-6681 extends beyond simple script execution, potentially enabling attackers to perform session hijacking, defacement of web applications, data theft, and establishment of persistent backdoors. When exploited successfully, the vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the victim's browser session, potentially compromising user credentials, stealing sensitive information, or redirecting users to malicious sites. The vulnerability affects organizations using Dojo Toolkit versions prior to 1.1 in web applications that utilize the dijit.Editor component for user input processing, which includes many enterprise content management systems, web portals, and collaborative platforms. The widespread adoption of Dojo in enterprise environments amplifies the potential impact, as a single vulnerable component can compromise multiple applications and user bases.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to Dojo Toolkit version 1.1 or later, which includes proper input sanitization and entity escaping mechanisms for the dijit.Editor component. Additionally, implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding at multiple layers of the application stack provides defense-in-depth protection against similar vulnerabilities. Security measures should include regular security assessments of JavaScript libraries, implementation of content security policies, and monitoring for suspicious user input patterns. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script execution via web applications. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and regular security training for developers to prevent similar vulnerabilities in custom code implementations that may interact with the affected framework components.