CVE-2013-4138 in Hatch
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Hatch theme 7.x-1.x before 7.x-1.4 for Drupal allows remote authenticated users with the "Administer content," "Create new article," or "Edit any article type content" permission to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/01/2019
The CVE-2013-4138 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Hatch theme for Drupal version 7.x-1.x prior to 7.x-1.4. This vulnerability specifically targets authenticated users who possess administrative privileges including "Administer content," "Create new article," or "Edit any article type content" permissions. The flaw exists in the theme's handling of user input and content rendering processes, creating an exploitable condition that allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary web script or HTML code into the application's output. The vulnerability's impact is significant because it leverages the elevated privileges of authenticated users to execute malicious code within the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or further compromise of the Drupal installation.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization and output encoding within the Hatch theme's content handling mechanisms. When authenticated users with sufficient permissions create or edit content, the theme fails to properly validate or escape user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages. This allows attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the browsers of other users who view the compromised content. The unspecified vectors suggest that multiple entry points within the theme's codebase may be susceptible to this type of injection, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it could be exploited through various content creation and editing workflows. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-site Scripting flaws in web applications, where improper validation of input data leads to execution of malicious scripts in user browsers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it enables attackers to leverage the elevated permissions of compromised administrators to perform actions that would normally be restricted. An attacker could potentially create malicious content that, when viewed by other users, would execute scripts that steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or even modify content in ways that could compromise the entire Drupal installation. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely heavily on content management workflows where administrators frequently create and edit articles, as these users represent the primary attack surface. The risk is compounded by the fact that the vulnerability affects the theme layer rather than core Drupal functionality, meaning that even organizations with robust core security measures could be compromised through theme-level vulnerabilities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-4138 should prioritize immediate patching of the Hatch theme to version 7.x-1.4 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes to address the XSS vectors. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures including regular security auditing of custom themes and contributed modules, implementation of Content Security Policy headers, and enhanced input validation procedures. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of securing all layers of web applications, not just core components, as theme-level vulnerabilities can provide attackers with elevated privileges and access to sensitive functionality. Security teams should conduct comprehensive assessments of their Drupal installations to identify any other potentially vulnerable themes or modules, and consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script injection attempts. This vulnerability serves as a reminder that the security of web applications depends on the integrity of all components, including themes and contributed modules, and that regular security updates and monitoring are essential for maintaining robust defenses against exploitation attempts.