CVE-2013-4447 in Simplenews
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the API in the Simplenews module 6.x-1.x before 6.x-1.5 and 7.x-1.x before 7.x-1.1 for Drupal allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via an email address.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/10/2022
The CVE-2013-4447 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Simplenews module for Drupal platforms, affecting versions 6.x-1.x prior to 6.x-1.5 and 7.x-1.x prior to 7.x-1.1. This vulnerability resides in the application programming interface component of the module, specifically targeting the handling of email addresses submitted through the newsletter subscription functionality. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of affected websites, potentially compromising user sessions and data integrity. The vulnerability manifests when the system fails to properly sanitize or escape user-provided email addresses before rendering them in web pages, creating an avenue for persistent XSS attacks that can persist across user sessions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output escaping mechanisms within the Simplenews module's API. When users submit email addresses through the newsletter subscription forms, the module processes these inputs without sufficient sanitization measures to prevent malicious script injection. This weakness aligns with CWE-79, which categorizes cross-site scripting vulnerabilities as a result of insufficient input validation and output encoding. The vulnerability specifically exploits the module's failure to properly escape special characters in email addresses, allowing attackers to inject script tags or other malicious code that executes in the browsers of unsuspecting users. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires no authentication or privileged access, making it accessible to any remote user with knowledge of the target website's structure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can lead to session hijacking, credential theft, and potential complete compromise of user accounts. Attackers can leverage the XSS flaw to steal cookies, session tokens, and other sensitive information from authenticated users, effectively impersonating them within the Drupal environment. This vulnerability also enables the deployment of malicious payloads that can redirect users to phishing sites, harvest additional credentials, or perform unauthorized actions on behalf of compromised users. The persistence of the vulnerability across multiple Drupal versions indicates a fundamental flaw in the module's security design that affected numerous websites running vulnerable versions of the platform. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1566.001 (Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment) and T1531 (Account Access Removal) through the potential for credential theft and account compromise.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-4447 require immediate implementation of security patches and updates to the Simplenews module to versions 6.x-1.5 or 7.x-1.1 and later. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures including input validation at multiple layers, proper output encoding for all user-provided data, and regular security audits of third-party modules. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against script execution, while regular monitoring of user-submitted content helps detect potential exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls to filter malicious payloads and establish incident response procedures for rapid deployment of patches across all affected systems. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date third-party components and conducting thorough security assessments before deployment, as the flaw could be exploited to gain unauthorized access to sensitive user information and potentially compromise entire web applications.