CVE-2014-4965 in Shopizer
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Shopizer 1.1.5 and earlier allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) customername parameter to central/orders/searchcriteria.action; (2) productname, (3) availability, or (4) status parameter to central/catalog/productlist.action; or unspecified vectors in (5) WebContent/orders/orderlist.jsp.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/25/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-4965 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Shopizer e-commerce platform versions 1.1.5 and earlier. This vulnerability exposes the application to remote code execution through malicious script injection attacks that can compromise user sessions and data integrity. The flaw manifests across multiple endpoints within the administrative interface, creating multiple attack vectors that significantly expand the potential impact of exploitation. The vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting conditions where untrusted data is incorporated into web pages without proper validation or sanitization mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within several key administrative servlets and jsp pages. Attackers can exploit the vulnerability by crafting malicious payloads targeting the customername parameter in the central/orders/searchcriteria.action endpoint, or by manipulating productname, availability, or status parameters in the central/catalog/productlist.action servlet. Additionally, the WebContent/orders/orderlist.jsp page contains unspecified vectors that can be exploited through similar injection techniques. These parameters are directly incorporated into the application's response without proper sanitization, allowing attackers to inject malicious javascript code that executes in the context of authenticated users' browsers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can lead to complete session hijacking, data exfiltration, and potential privilege escalation within the administrative interface. An attacker who successfully exploits any of these vectors can gain access to sensitive customer information, product catalogs, order histories, and potentially manipulate the entire e-commerce platform. The vulnerability affects both the product management and order processing functionalities, creating a comprehensive attack surface that can be leveraged for extended compromise operations. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 for script injection and T1566 for social engineering techniques that could be employed to deliver malicious payloads.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-4965 require immediate implementation of comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms across all affected endpoints. Organizations should implement strict parameter validation that filters or rejects malicious input patterns before processing user-supplied data. The recommended approach includes implementing proper HTML entity encoding for all dynamic content, establishing Content Security Policy headers to restrict script execution, and deploying web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious requests. Additionally, upgrading to Shopizer version 1.1.6 or later is essential as this release includes patches that address the identified XSS vulnerabilities. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive penetration testing to identify any additional vectors that may have been overlooked during the initial assessment, ensuring complete remediation of the application's security posture.