CVE-2009-2610 in Links Package
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Links Related module in the Links Package 5.x before 5.x-1.13 and 6.x before 6.x-1.2, a module for Drupal, allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the title field.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/18/2017
The CVE-2009-2610 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Links Package module for Drupal content management systems. This vulnerability specifically affects versions 5.x prior to 5.x-1.13 and 6.x prior to 6.x-1.2, making it a significant concern for organizations running legacy Drupal installations. The vulnerability resides in the Links Related module, which is designed to manage and display related links within Drupal sites. The flaw manifests when authenticated users with appropriate permissions submit malicious content through the title field of link entries, potentially compromising the security of the entire web application.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization within the Links Package module. When users submit link titles containing malicious script code, the system fails to properly escape or filter the input before rendering it in the web page context. This allows attackers to inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript code that executes in the browsers of other users who view the affected pages. The vulnerability specifically targets the title field, which is commonly used for link display purposes and is often rendered without proper HTML escaping in the module's template files. According to CWE classification, this represents a classic CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it enables attackers to execute malicious code in the context of authenticated users' browsers. This opens the door to various attack vectors including session hijacking, credential theft, and privilege escalation within the Drupal environment. An attacker could potentially manipulate the behavior of legitimate users by injecting scripts that redirect them to malicious sites, steal cookies, or perform unauthorized actions on behalf of the victim. The authenticated nature of the vulnerability means that attackers do not require special privileges to exploit it, though they must have access to the Drupal administrative interface or user accounts with sufficient permissions to submit link content. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531: Establishing Persistence through Web Shell, as the vulnerability could enable attackers to maintain long-term access through persistent script injection.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement multiple layers of mitigation strategies to protect their Drupal installations. The primary and most effective remediation involves upgrading to the patched versions of the Links Package module, specifically 5.x-1.13 and 6.x-1.2, which contain proper input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms. Additionally, administrators should implement strict content validation policies, including regular input filtering and the use of Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution. The principle of least privilege should be enforced by limiting user permissions to only those necessary for their roles, reducing the potential attack surface. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual content submissions, particularly in link-related fields, and regular security audits should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other contributed modules. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of keeping third-party Drupal modules updated and following secure coding practices that prevent XSS attacks through proper input validation and output encoding.