CVE-2013-0244 in Drupal
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Drupal 6.x before 6.28 and 7.x before 7.19, when running with older versions of jQuery that are vulnerable to CVE-2011-4969, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via vectors involving unspecified Javascript functions that are used to select DOM elements.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/31/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-0244 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Drupal content management systems running version 6.x before 6.28 and 7.x before 7.19. This vulnerability specifically manifests when Drupal systems operate with older versions of jQuery that are themselves vulnerable to CVE-2011-4969, creating a compounded security risk that enables attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of user sessions. The flaw resides in the improper handling of JavaScript functions used for DOM element selection, which creates injection points that can be exploited by remote attackers without requiring authentication or privileged access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the insecure processing of user-supplied input through JavaScript functions that manipulate the Document Object Model. When Drupal processes content that contains malicious script tags or malformed JavaScript code, the older jQuery versions fail to properly sanitize or escape these inputs before they are rendered in the browser. This creates a persistent XSS vector where attackers can inject malicious code that executes in the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or data exfiltration. The vulnerability operates at the client-side execution level, making it particularly dangerous as it can affect any user who views the compromised content, regardless of their administrative privileges or session status.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-0244 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform sophisticated attacks leveraging the broader ATT&CK framework's execution and persistence techniques. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to establish backdoors, harvest user credentials through form submissions, or redirect victims to malicious sites that appear legitimate. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-79 indicates it falls within the category of cross-site scripting flaws, where insufficient input validation and output encoding create opportunities for attackers to inject malicious content into web applications. This particular vulnerability affects the fundamental web application security model by allowing attackers to bypass typical security controls and execute arbitrary code within user browsers, making it a significant concern for organizations relying on Drupal platforms for content management and web publishing.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of their Drupal installations to versions 6.28 and 7.19 or later, which contain the necessary security fixes to address the jQuery sanitization issues. Additional mitigation strategies include implementing comprehensive content filtering mechanisms, deploying web application firewalls to detect and block malicious script patterns, and conducting regular security audits of all JavaScript libraries used within the application. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date third-party components and following secure coding practices that emphasize proper input validation and output encoding. Security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts through log analysis and implement network-based detection measures to identify potential attack patterns associated with this specific XSS vector. Organizations should also consider implementing content security policies and strict sanitization of user-generated content to reduce the attack surface and prevent successful exploitation of this and similar vulnerabilities.