CVE-2014-6635 in Exponent
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Exponent CMS 2.3.0 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the src parameter in the search action to index.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/13/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-6635 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Exponent CMS version 2.3.0 that exposes web applications to remote code execution risks through malicious script injection. This vulnerability specifically targets the search functionality of the content management system, where the src parameter in the index.php file fails to properly sanitize user input before processing. The flaw allows attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML code directly into the application's response, creating a persistent vector for malicious activity that can compromise user sessions and data integrity.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which categorizes cross-site scripting as a weakness where applications fail to properly validate or escape user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages. The attack vector specifically exploits the search action handler in the index.php file, where the src parameter becomes the entry point for malicious payload injection. When users navigate to the affected search results page, the injected scripts execute within the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or data manipulation. This vulnerability operates under the principle that the application trusts user input without proper sanitization, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where different users may be affected by the same malicious payload.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform sophisticated attacks such as cookie theft, session fixation, and redirection to malicious domains. Under the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 for scripting languages and T1566 for credential access through social engineering. The vulnerability affects any user who interacts with search results containing malicious payloads, potentially compromising all users of the CMS system. The risk is particularly elevated in environments where administrators or privileged users access the same application, as their sessions could be hijacked, leading to complete system compromise. Additionally, the vulnerability can be exploited to redirect users to phishing sites or to inject malware delivery mechanisms, making it a significant threat to both application security and user safety.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-6635 should focus on immediate input validation and output encoding implementations. Organizations should implement strict parameter validation for the src parameter in the search functionality, ensuring that all user input is properly escaped before being rendered in web pages. The recommended approach includes applying the principle of least privilege by sanitizing all user-supplied data and implementing Content Security Policy headers to prevent unauthorized script execution. Regular security updates and patch management processes should be enforced to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities, while security monitoring should be implemented to detect anomalous search queries that may indicate attempted exploitation. The fix requires modifying the index.php file to properly escape or filter the src parameter values, ensuring that any HTML or script content is treated as data rather than executable code. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security assessments of their CMS installations to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components and ensure that proper security controls are in place to prevent future exploitation attempts.