CVE-2013-5308 in realurlmanagement
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the RealURL Management (realurlmanagement) extension 0.3.4 and earlier for TYPO3 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/01/2019
The CVE-2013-5308 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the RealURL Management extension for TYPO3 content management system. This vulnerability affects versions 0.3.4 and earlier, creating a significant security risk for organizations utilizing TYPO3 platforms with this extension. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of affected user browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or unauthorized administrative actions. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the extension's handling of user-supplied data, particularly in parameters related to URL management and configuration settings. The unspecified vectors suggest that multiple entry points within the extension could be exploited, making the attack surface broader than initially apparent. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws in software applications. The attack vector typically involves an attacker crafting malicious input that gets processed and rendered without proper sanitization, allowing the injected script to execute when other users view the affected pages.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks within the TYPO3 environment. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to steal administrator sessions, modify website content, redirect users to malicious sites, or harvest sensitive information from authenticated sessions. The real-world implications are particularly concerning given that TYPO3 is widely used by enterprises, government organizations, and critical infrastructure providers. When exploited, this vulnerability can compromise the integrity of the entire TYPO3 installation, potentially allowing attackers to gain persistent access to the content management system. The vulnerability's presence in the management extension specifically targets administrators who are likely to have elevated privileges, making the potential damage significantly greater than standard user-level XSS attacks. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007, which covers Scripting through command-line interpreters, as attackers can leverage the XSS to execute malicious commands within the web application context.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through patching the RealURL Management extension to a version that addresses the XSS flaw. The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to the latest available version of the extension that contains proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Security teams should also implement additional defensive measures such as web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious script injections, input sanitization at the application level, and regular security scanning of web applications. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious patterns in URL parameters that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date third-party extensions and plugins, as outdated components often contain known vulnerabilities that attackers actively exploit. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks, though this serves as a defense-in-depth measure rather than a complete solution. Regular security audits of all installed TYPO3 extensions are essential to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by malicious actors. The incident highlights the necessity of establishing robust software update procedures and vulnerability management processes within organizations to prevent exploitation of known security flaws.