CVE-2009-3479 in Bibliography
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Bibliography (Biblio) 5.x before 5.x-1.17 and 6.x before 6.x-1.6, a module for Drupal, allows remote attackers, with "create content displayed by the Bibliography module" permissions, to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a title.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/22/2019
The CVE-2009-3479 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Bibliography module for Drupal content management systems. This vulnerability affects versions 5.x prior to 5.x-1.17 and 6.x prior to 6.x-1.6, creating a significant security risk for Drupal installations that utilize this bibliographic module. The flaw specifically targets the module's handling of user-provided title data, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content directly into the system. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires only minimal privileges to exploit, specifically the "create content displayed by the Bibliography module" permission, which many content editors and contributors typically possess.
The technical execution of this XSS attack occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious title containing script code that gets rendered without proper sanitization or encoding. When other users view the bibliographic entries, the injected scripts execute in their browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. This vulnerability falls under CWE-79, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws in software applications. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it operates through legitimate content creation workflows, making detection more challenging for system administrators. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that it can be exploited by users who should normally have restricted permissions, effectively bypassing standard access controls within the Drupal framework.
The operational impact of CVE-2009-3479 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable more sophisticated attacks within the targeted environment. An attacker could potentially use this vulnerability to establish persistent access through browser-based attacks, manipulate displayed bibliographic data, or even leverage the vulnerability as a stepping stone for broader system compromise. The attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001, which covers "Phishing with Social Engineering" through web-based attack vectors. Organizations using affected Drupal versions face the risk of data integrity compromise, user session theft, and potential escalation of privileges within their content management systems. The vulnerability essentially undermines the trust model of the Bibliography module, as legitimate content can become a vehicle for malicious code execution.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve immediate patching of the affected Bibliography module to versions 5.x-1.17 or 6.x-1.6, which contain the necessary security fixes. System administrators should also implement input validation and output encoding mechanisms to sanitize all user-provided data, particularly title fields within bibliographic entries. Additional protective measures include implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution, regular security auditing of content creation workflows, and user permission reviews to ensure least privilege principles are maintained. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script injection attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of keeping content management systems and their modules updated, as well as the critical need for proper input sanitization in web applications. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar flaws in other modules or custom code implementations.