CVE-2014-4853 in OpenDocMan
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in odm-init.php in OpenDocMan before 1.2.7.3 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the file name of an uploaded file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/15/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2014-4853 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the OpenDocMan document management system, specifically affecting versions prior to 1.2.7.3. This issue resides in the odm-init.php component and demonstrates a classic server-side input validation failure that enables malicious actors to execute arbitrary code within the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects authenticated users, meaning that an attacker must first gain valid credentials to exploit this weakness, but once achieved, the impact can be severe as it allows for persistent code execution across multiple user sessions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of file names during the upload process within OpenDocMan's file handling mechanism. When users upload files, the system stores the original file name without proper validation or encoding, allowing maliciously crafted file names containing script tags or other malicious content to be stored and subsequently rendered in web pages. This represents a direct violation of secure coding principles and falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, where the application fails to properly validate or escape user-supplied input before incorporating it into dynamic web content. The flaw specifically manifests in the odm-init.php file which processes file initialization and metadata handling, making it a critical component in the exploitation chain.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration. An authenticated attacker could upload a file with a malicious name containing javascript code that would execute whenever other users view the file listing or metadata page. This creates a persistent threat vector that can affect all users of the system, potentially leading to complete compromise of the document management environment. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, as it allows for the execution of malicious javascript code through the web interface. Additionally, this weakness could facilitate more advanced attacks such as phishing campaigns or lateral movement within the network if the document management system is integrated with other corporate applications.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate patching to version 1.2.7.3 or later, which contains the necessary input sanitization fixes. Organizations should implement comprehensive file name validation that removes or encodes potentially dangerous characters such as angle brackets, quotes, and script tags. The system should enforce strict input validation at multiple points including file upload, storage, and display phases. Security measures should also include implementing proper output encoding when displaying file names in web interfaces to prevent XSS execution. Network segmentation and access controls should be reviewed to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation, while regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the document management infrastructure. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring systems to detect and prevent exploitation attempts, as well as establishing incident response procedures specifically tailored to address XSS vulnerabilities in document management systems.