CVE-2014-7869 in Context Form Alteration module
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the configuration UI in the Context Form Alteration module 7.x-1.x before 7.x-1.2 for Drupal allows remote authenticated users with the "administer contexts" permission to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/20/2018
The CVE-2014-7869 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Context Form Alteration module for Drupal 7.x-1.x versions prior to 7.x-1.2. This vulnerability specifically targets the configuration user interface of the module, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of affected user sessions. The flaw is particularly concerning because it requires only authenticated access with the "administer contexts" permission, which is typically granted to trusted users who manage the site's contextual configurations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization within the module's form handling mechanisms. When administrators interact with the configuration interface to manage contexts, the module fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it back to the browser. This allows attackers who have already compromised an account with administrative privileges to inject malicious scripts that will execute in the browsers of other users who view the affected configuration pages. The unspecified vectors indicate that the vulnerability may manifest through multiple input points within the configuration form, making it particularly challenging to fully mitigate without comprehensive input validation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive administrative credentials, and potentially escalate their privileges within the Drupal environment. Since the affected users already possess administrative permissions, the consequences of successful exploitation can be devastating to the entire website infrastructure. Attackers could modify context configurations to redirect users to malicious sites, inject backdoors, or manipulate the site's behavior in ways that compromise data integrity and availability. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and it maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for scripting languages and T1566 for credential access through web application attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-7869 require immediate patching of the Context Form Alteration module to version 7.x-1.2 or later, which contains the necessary input validation fixes. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures including regular security audits of Drupal modules, monitoring of administrative user activities, and implementation of Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution capabilities. Network segmentation and privileged access controls should be enforced to limit the blast radius of potential exploitation. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date Drupal core and contributed modules, as well as the necessity of thorough security testing for all administrative interfaces within web applications. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be integrated into the development lifecycle to identify similar issues before they can be exploited in production environments.