CVE-2014-1611 in Anonymous Posting
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Anonymous Posting module 7.x-1.2 and 7.x-1.3 for Drupal allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the contact name field.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/01/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-1611 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Anonymous Posting module for Drupal version 7.x-1.2 and 7.x-1.3. This security weakness resides in the module's handling of user input through the contact name field, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of affected websites. The vulnerability operates by failing to properly sanitize or validate user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages, thereby enabling attackers to inject malicious payloads that can be executed by other users visiting the affected pages.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in software applications. This classification indicates that the module does not implement adequate input validation or output encoding mechanisms to prevent malicious code execution. The flaw occurs when user-provided contact names containing script tags or other malicious HTML elements are processed without proper sanitization, allowing these elements to be rendered as executable code within the browser context of legitimate users. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that it affects a widely used Drupal module, potentially compromising numerous websites that rely on anonymous posting functionality.
Operationally, this XSS vulnerability poses significant risks to affected Drupal installations, as it can be exploited by remote attackers without requiring any authentication credentials. Attackers can craft malicious contact names containing JavaScript payloads that execute when other users view the posted content, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious websites. The vulnerability's exploitation capabilities extend beyond simple script execution, as it can be leveraged to perform more sophisticated attacks such as cookie theft, defacement of website content, or even privilege escalation if the affected site has additional vulnerabilities. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors can exploit this weakness from anywhere on the internet, making it particularly dangerous for publicly accessible Drupal websites.
The recommended mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-1611 include immediate patching of the Anonymous Posting module to version 7.x-1.4 or later, which contains the necessary fixes to properly sanitize user input. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures such as input validation at multiple layers, output encoding of all user-supplied content, and regular security audits of third-party modules. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date Drupal core and contributed modules, as well as implementing proper security monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. Security practitioners should also consider implementing content security policies and web application firewalls to provide additional protection layers against similar XSS vulnerabilities. This case highlights the critical need for thorough security testing of all user input handling mechanisms and adherence to secure coding practices that prevent injection vulnerabilities.