CVE-2013-4759 in Form module
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the Magnolia Form module 1.x before 1.4.7 and 2.x before 2.0.2 for Magnolia CMS allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) username, (2) fullname, or (3) email parameter to magnoliaPublic/demo-project/members-area/registration.html.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/20/2025
The CVE-2013-4759 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Magnolia Form module affecting versions prior to 1.4.7 for 1.x series and 2.0.2 for 2.x series. This vulnerability exists in the Magnolia Content Management System and specifically targets the members area registration functionality. The flaw allows remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of victims' browsers by manipulating input parameters during user registration processes.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the Form module's handling of user-supplied data. Attackers can exploit this weakness by submitting malicious payloads through three specific parameters: username, fullname, and email fields in the registration form located at magnoliaPublic/demo-project/members-area/registration.html. The vulnerability manifests as reflected XSS, where the malicious script is reflected back to the user's browser without proper sanitization or encoding of the input data before rendering.
This vulnerability operates under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-79 which defines "Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')". The flaw directly enables attackers to perform session hijacking, defacement of user accounts, and potentially gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. The attack vector requires minimal privileges as it targets a publicly accessible registration page, making it particularly dangerous for web applications that rely on user registration for functionality.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-4759 extends beyond simple script execution as it can be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks within the context of the Magnolia CMS environment. An attacker could potentially redirect users to malicious sites, steal session cookies, or inject persistent XSS payloads that remain active across multiple user sessions. The vulnerability affects the integrity of user registration processes and can compromise the overall security posture of the CMS platform, particularly when combined with other potential vulnerabilities in the system.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of the affected Magnolia Form module to versions 1.4.7 or 2.0.2 respectively. Organizations should also implement comprehensive input validation mechanisms that sanitize all user inputs before processing, enforce strict output encoding for all dynamic content, and consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts. Additionally, security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns in registration activities and regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the CMS ecosystem. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which describes "Phishing for Information" and demonstrates how web application vulnerabilities can be exploited to compromise user sessions and gain unauthorized access to protected resources.