CVE-2013-1782 in Responsive Blog
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Responsive Blog Theme 7.x-1.x before 7.x-1.6 for Drupal allows remote authenticated users with the administer themes permission to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via vectors related to social icons.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/09/2018
The CVE-2013-1782 vulnerability represents a cross-site scripting flaw within the Responsive Blog Theme for Drupal version 7.x-1.x prior to 7.x-1.6. This vulnerability specifically targets authenticated users who possess the administer themes permission, creating a significant security risk within Drupal-based web applications. The flaw manifests through social icons functionality, which serves as an injection vector for malicious code execution. The vulnerability's classification as a persistent XSS issue means that malicious scripts can be stored and executed against other users who view the affected content, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where theme customization is frequently performed.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding within the theme's social icons configuration handling. When administrators configure social media icons through the theme's interface, the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages. This insufficient sanitization allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code or HTML content that gets executed in the browsers of other users who visit pages utilizing the compromised theme. The vulnerability specifically affects the theme's administrative interface where users can customize social media integration, making it a prime target for exploitation in environments where multiple administrators have theme management privileges.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-1782 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, data theft, and redirection to malicious sites. An attacker with the administer themes permission can craft payloads that persist in the theme configuration, ensuring that every user who accesses affected pages becomes a victim of the stored XSS attack. This vulnerability directly violates security principles outlined in CWE-79, which addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through spearphishing attachments or links. The impact is particularly severe in enterprise environments where Drupal sites serve as content management platforms for sensitive corporate information, as the compromise of theme administration can lead to broader system infiltration.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-1782 focus primarily on immediate patching and access control enforcement. Organizations should immediately upgrade to Responsive Blog Theme version 7.x-1.6 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Additionally, administrators should implement principle of least privilege by restricting the number of users with administer themes permission, limiting the attack surface for potential exploitation. Input validation and output encoding should be strengthened throughout the application's theme configuration interfaces to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in other components. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual theme configuration changes, and regular security audits should verify that all Drupal modules are running supported versions. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper sanitization practices in web applications, reinforcing the need for comprehensive security testing including dynamic analysis of user input handling within administrative interfaces.