CVE-2014-3111 in FOG
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in FOG 0.27 through 0.32 allow remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) Printer Model field to the Printer Management page, (2) Image Name field to the Image Management page, (3) Storage Group Name field to the Storage Management page, (4) Username field to the User Cleanup FOG Configuration page, or (5) Directory Path field to the Directory Cleaner FOG Configuration page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/14/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-3111 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness affecting the FOG Project version 0.27 through 0.32. This issue resides within the web-based management interface of the Free Open-source Ghost project, which is widely used for network-based computer imaging and deployment. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization mechanisms within several administrative configuration pages, creating persistent entry points for malicious script injection attacks. These vulnerabilities specifically target fields used for configuration management, indicating a fundamental flaw in the application's data handling processes that allows attackers to execute arbitrary web scripts in the context of authenticated user sessions.
The technical flaw manifests through five distinct vulnerable input fields across different management modules within the FOG interface. Attackers can exploit these weaknesses by injecting malicious scripts into the Printer Model field within the Printer Management page, the Image Name field in the Image Management page, the Storage Group Name field in the Storage Management page, the Username field in the User Cleanup FOG Configuration page, or the Directory Path field in the Directory Cleaner FOG Configuration page. This widespread vulnerability across multiple administrative interfaces demonstrates a systemic failure in the application's input sanitization protocols, where user-provided data is not properly escaped or validated before being rendered back to users in the web interface. The vulnerability operates under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, making it a classic example of insecure data handling in web interfaces.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations relying on FOG for system imaging and management. An authenticated attacker with access to the FOG management interface can leverage these XSS vulnerabilities to execute malicious scripts in the browsers of other authenticated users, potentially leading to session hijacking, privilege escalation, or data exfiltration. The attack vector requires only authentication to the FOG system, which means that any user with valid credentials could potentially exploit these vulnerabilities. This creates a substantial risk for organizations where administrative access might be compromised through social engineering, credential theft, or insider threats. The reflected nature of these XSS vulnerabilities means that malicious scripts injected by one user could affect all other users viewing the affected pages, creating a potential attack surface that could propagate beyond the initial compromised session.
Organizations should immediately implement comprehensive mitigations for this vulnerability by upgrading to FOG versions that address these XSS weaknesses, as the affected versions through 0.32 contain no built-in protections against such attacks. The recommended approach includes implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms, specifically applying HTML entity encoding to all user-supplied data before rendering it in the web interface. Security measures should include implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution, regular input sanitization routines, and comprehensive security testing of all web forms and configuration fields. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of credential compromise, while also conducting regular security audits to identify similar vulnerabilities in other web applications. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for scripting and T1566 for credential harvesting, highlighting the importance of addressing such flaws in management interfaces that are frequently targeted by attackers.