CVE-2014-0334 in CMS Made Simple
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in CMS Made Simple allow remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via (1) the group parameter to admin/addgroup.php, (2) the htmlblob parameter to admin/addhtmlblob.php, the (3) title or (4) url parameter to admin/addbookmark.php, (5) the stylesheet_name parameter to admin/copystylesheet.php, (6) the template_name parameter to admin/copytemplate.php, the (7) title or (8) url parameter to admin/editbookmark.php, (9) the template parameter to admin/listtemplates.php, or (10) the css_name parameter to admin/listcss.php, a different issue than CVE-2014-2092.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/12/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2014-0334 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within CMS Made Simple, a widely used content management system that powers numerous websites globally. This vulnerability affects multiple administrative endpoints within the CMS, creating a significant attack surface for malicious actors who have gained authenticated access to the system. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the application's administrative interface, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts that can execute in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it targets administrative functions where users already possess elevated privileges, potentially enabling attackers to escalate their access and compromise entire websites.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability spans across multiple administrative PHP scripts within the CMS Made Simple framework, each susceptible to XSS attacks through specific parameter injection points. The attack vectors include the group parameter in addgroup.php, htmlblob parameter in addhtmlblob.php, and various parameters in bookmark management functions including title and url in both addbookmark.php and editbookmark.php. Additionally, the vulnerability extends to stylesheet and template management functions through stylesheet_name in copystylesheet.php, template_name in copytemplate.php, template in listtemplates.php, and css_name in listcss.php. These injection points demonstrate a systemic weakness in the application's sanitization processes, where user-supplied data flows directly into HTML output without proper encoding or validation, creating persistent XSS opportunities that can be exploited by authenticated users with administrative privileges.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-0334 is substantial, as it enables authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary scripts in the browsers of other users who access the compromised CMS administration interface. This vulnerability can be leveraged to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized administrative actions, redirect users to malicious websites, or even install backdoors within the compromised website. The potential for privilege escalation exists because attackers can manipulate the administrative functions to modify website content, create new user accounts, or alter security settings. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-79 (Cross-site Scripting) and its alignment with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript) highlights the fundamental nature of the flaw and its exploitation patterns within the cybersecurity landscape. Given that these are administrative functions, successful exploitation can lead to complete website compromise and data exfiltration.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of the CMS Made Simple application to the latest versions that address the identified XSS flaws. Organizations should implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms across all administrative interfaces, ensuring that user-supplied data undergoes strict sanitization before being rendered in HTML contexts. The principle of least privilege should be enforced by limiting administrative access to only necessary personnel and implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous administrative activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other administrative functions, with particular attention to parameter handling in PHP scripts. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and content security policies to provide additional layers of protection against XSS attacks, while maintaining comprehensive backup and recovery procedures to quickly restore systems in case of successful exploitation.