CVE-2014-2280 in SeedDMS
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the search feature in SeedDMS (formerly LetoDMS and MyDMS) before 4.3.4 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the query parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/08/2026
The CVE-2014-2280 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in SeedDMS, a document management system that evolved from LetoDMS and MyDMS platforms. This vulnerability specifically targets the search functionality of the application, making it one of the most accessible attack vectors for malicious actors seeking to compromise user sessions and execute unauthorized code within the browser context of affected systems. The vulnerability affects all versions prior to 4.3.4, indicating that organizations running older iterations of this document management solution were exposed to significant security risks. The flaw demonstrates a classic lack of proper input validation and output encoding that has been consistently identified as a primary cause of XSS vulnerabilities across web applications.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to adequately sanitize user input within the search query parameter. When users submit search terms through the web interface, the system processes these inputs without proper HTML escaping or encoding mechanisms, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts directly into the search functionality. The query parameter serves as the primary injection point, where malicious payloads can be constructed to exploit the vulnerability and execute code within the context of other users' browsers. This weakness aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities resulting from insufficient input validation and output encoding in web applications. The vulnerability's exploitation typically involves crafting specially formatted search queries that contain JavaScript code or HTML elements designed to persist in the application's response and execute when other users view the search results.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-2280 extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal user credentials, redirect victims to malicious websites, or even modify document access permissions within the SeedDMS environment. Remote attackers can leverage this vulnerability to compromise user sessions without requiring any local access to the system, making it particularly dangerous for organizations that rely on web-based document management solutions. The attack vector is particularly insidious because it can be executed through normal user interactions with the search feature, making detection and prevention challenging. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers social engineering tactics that involve crafting malicious web content to compromise target systems. Organizations running affected versions of SeedDMS faced the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive documents and potential data breaches, especially in environments where the system was used to store confidential or regulated information.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation by upgrading to SeedDMS version 4.3.4 or later, which includes proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms to prevent XSS injection attacks. Additionally, implementing proper web application firewall rules that monitor and filter search parameters can provide an additional layer of protection while awaiting the official patch deployment. Security teams should also consider conducting thorough vulnerability assessments of their document management systems to identify other potential XSS vulnerabilities that may exist within similar web applications. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing to ensure that the patch does not introduce any regressions in functionality while effectively addressing the XSS vulnerability. Regular security monitoring and input validation reviews should be implemented to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future development cycles, particularly focusing on the application's handling of user-supplied data in all interactive features.