CVE-2014-6027 in TorrentFlux
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in TorrentFlux 2.4 allow (1) remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML by leveraging failure to encode file contents when downloading a torrent file or (2) remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via vectors involving a link to torrent details.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/30/2021
The CVE-2014-6027 vulnerability affects TorrentFlux 2.4, a popular torrent management web application that allows users to download and manage torrent files through a web interface. This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in the application's input validation and output encoding mechanisms, specifically targeting cross-site scripting attack vectors that could enable unauthorized code execution within user browsers. The vulnerability exists in the application's handling of torrent file contents and user-generated content, creating opportunities for attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users' sessions.
The technical flaw manifests in two distinct attack vectors that exploit insufficient output encoding practices within the TorrentFlux application. The first vector occurs during torrent file downloads when the application fails to properly encode file contents before displaying them to users, allowing attackers to embed malicious javascript code within torrent metadata that executes when users attempt to download files. The second vector targets authenticated users who can inject malicious scripts through links pointing to torrent details, exploiting the application's failure to sanitize user-provided data before rendering it in web pages. Both attack scenarios leverage the fundamental weakness of not properly escaping special characters in output rendering, a common pattern that aligns with CWE-79 "Cross-site Scripting" classification.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform session hijacking, steal user credentials, redirect users to malicious sites, or execute arbitrary commands within the context of affected user sessions. Remote attackers can exploit these vulnerabilities without requiring authentication, making the attack surface particularly broad. The vulnerability affects both anonymous and authenticated users, meaning that even users who have not logged into the application can be targeted through the file download vector. This creates a significant risk for organizations that rely on TorrentFlux for file sharing, as compromised user sessions could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data or system resources.
Security mitigations for CVE-2014-6027 should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding practices throughout the application. The primary solution involves ensuring that all user-provided data and file contents are properly escaped before being rendered in web pages, specifically implementing context-appropriate encoding for html, javascript, and url contexts. Organizations should also implement content security policies to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts, deploy web application firewalls to detect and block malicious payloads, and ensure that all TorrentFlux installations are updated to patched versions. Additionally, the application should validate and sanitize all torrent metadata before displaying it to users, and implement proper access controls to prevent unauthorized modification of torrent details. These measures align with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and script injection, and the remediation strategies should follow industry best practices for preventing XSS vulnerabilities as outlined in OWASP Top 10 and NIST guidelines for web application security.