CVE-2014-7292 in dasBlog
Summary
by MITRE
Open redirect vulnerability in the Click-Through feature in Newtelligence dasBlog 2.1 (2.1.8102.813), 2.2 (2.2.8279.16125), and 2.3 (2.3.9074.18820) allows remote attackers to redirect users to arbitrary web sites and conduct phishing attacks via a URL in the url parameter to ct.ashx.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/30/2022
The CVE-2014-7292 vulnerability represents a critical open redirect flaw in Newtelligence dasBlog versions 2.1 through 2.3 that fundamentally compromises user security through improper input validation. This vulnerability specifically affects the Click-Through feature implemented in the ct.ashx handler, which is designed to track and redirect user navigation from blog posts to external links. The flaw stems from the application's failure to properly validate and sanitize URL parameters, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary URLs that will be seamlessly redirected to without user awareness of the security risk.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the parameter validation mechanism within the dasBlog blogging platform's core redirect functionality. When users click on links within blog posts that utilize the Click-Through feature, the application processes a url parameter that should be validated against a whitelist of acceptable domains. However, the validation process is insufficiently restrictive, allowing attackers to craft malicious URLs that bypass security checks and redirect users to phishing sites or malicious domains. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-601 Open Redirect vulnerability, which is classified under the CWE top 25 most dangerous software weaknesses and is categorized as a security misconfiguration issue.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability enables sophisticated phishing attacks where threat actors can craft deceptive blog posts that appear legitimate but redirect users to malicious domains designed to harvest credentials or install malware. The impact extends beyond simple redirection as it exploits user trust in the blogging platform, making social engineering attacks significantly more effective. Attackers can create blog posts with seemingly innocuous content that, when clicked, redirect users to fraudulent login pages or sites hosting malicious payloads. This vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users frequently interact with internal blogs and may be less cautious about external links.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with several ATT&CK framework techniques including T1566 Phishing and T1071.1001 Application Layer Protocol HTTP. The open redirect mechanism provides attackers with a reliable method for conducting phishing campaigns while maintaining the appearance of legitimacy through the trusted blog platform interface. Mitigation strategies should include implementing strict URL validation mechanisms that enforce domain whitelisting, deploying web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious redirect patterns, and conducting regular security assessments of web applications to identify similar validation flaws. Organizations should also consider implementing user education programs to raise awareness about the dangers of clicking external links in blog posts and establish proper input sanitization processes that align with OWASP Secure Coding practices. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper parameter validation and input sanitization in preventing seemingly simple but highly impactful security flaws that can be exploited for large-scale phishing operations.