CVE-2009-2083 in Taxonomy manager
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the term data detail page in Taxonomy manager 5.x before 5.x-1.2, a module for Drupal, allows remote authenticated users, with administer taxonomy privileges or the ability to use free tagging to add taxonomy terms, to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via "Parent and related terms."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/09/2017
This cross-site scripting vulnerability exists within the Taxonomy manager module for Drupal version 5.x prior to 5.x-1.2 where authenticated users with specific privileges can execute malicious scripts through the term data detail page. The flaw specifically occurs when processing "Parent and related terms" data, which represents a critical security gap in the module's input sanitization mechanisms. The vulnerability affects users who possess either administer taxonomy privileges or the ability to use free tagging to add taxonomy terms, making it exploitable by users who have legitimate access to taxonomy management functionality.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation and sanitization of user-supplied data within the taxonomy term management interface. When users with appropriate permissions create or modify taxonomy terms, the system fails to properly escape or filter the "Parent and related terms" field, allowing malicious scripts to be stored and subsequently executed in the context of other users' browsers. This represents a classic reflected cross-site scripting attack vector where the malicious payload is embedded within the taxonomy term data itself rather than being directly injected through URL parameters or form fields.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform session hijacking, defacement of taxonomy data, and potential privilege escalation within the Drupal environment. An attacker with taxonomy administration privileges could manipulate the taxonomy structure to redirect users to malicious sites, steal session cookies, or inject persistent malicious code that affects all users who view affected taxonomy term pages. The vulnerability particularly impacts organizations relying on Drupal's taxonomy system for content organization, as it allows attackers to compromise the integrity of the taxonomy data and potentially access other system resources through the established user privileges.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should include immediate upgrade to Taxonomy manager module version 5.x-1.2 or later, which contains the necessary input validation fixes. Organizations should also implement proper input sanitization measures including HTML escaping of all user-supplied content before storage, and consider implementing content security policies to limit script execution within the taxonomy management interface. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and falls under ATT&CK technique T1548.001 for privilege escalation through manipulation of application components. Additionally, implementing role-based access controls to limit taxonomy management privileges to only essential personnel reduces the attack surface, while regular security audits of contributed modules help identify similar vulnerabilities in other Drupal components.