CVE-2014-7979 in SimpleCorp
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the SimpleCorp theme 7.x-1.x before 7.x-1.1 for Drupal allows remote authenticated users with the "administer themes" permission to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via vectors related to theme settings.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/13/2019
The CVE-2014-7979 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the SimpleCorp theme for Drupal version 7.x-1.x prior to 7.x-1.1. This vulnerability specifically targets authenticated users who possess the "administer themes" permission, creating a significant security risk for Drupal-based web applications. The flaw resides in how the theme handles user input during theme settings configuration, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML code into the application's interface.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the theme settings management functionality. When administrators access the theme configuration interface, the application fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied data before rendering it back to the browser. This improper handling of user input creates an XSS attack vector where malicious code can be executed in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires only the "administer themes" permission, which is typically granted to trusted site administrators, making it accessible to users who already have elevated privileges within the application.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability can lead to severe consequences including session hijacking, credential theft, and unauthorized access to administrative functions. Attackers can leverage the XSS flaw to steal cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or execute malicious scripts that compromise the entire web application. The attack surface is expanded because the vulnerability affects theme settings, which are commonly modified by administrators during routine maintenance, increasing the frequency of potential exploitation. Security researchers have classified this vulnerability under CWE-79 as a failure to sanitize user input, specifically related to cross-site scripting attacks.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with several tactics outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to initial access and privilege escalation. Attackers can use the XSS vulnerability as a foothold to gain deeper access to the system, potentially escalating privileges or establishing persistent access through malicious script execution. The vulnerability also demonstrates characteristics of credential access techniques, as session tokens and authentication cookies can be harvested through the XSS payload. Organizations using Drupal with the SimpleCorp theme should implement immediate mitigations including updating to version 7.x-1.1 or later, which contains proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-7979 should include comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all Drupal installations are updated to the latest secure versions. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and output encoding practices within theme development processes can prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in custom themes. Security monitoring should include detection of suspicious theme configuration changes, as unauthorized modifications to theme settings may indicate attempted exploitation. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can provide additional layers of protection by monitoring for malicious script injection attempts. Organizations should also conduct regular security assessments and vulnerability scans to identify similar issues in other third-party modules and themes that may be susceptible to similar XSS vulnerabilities. The remediation process must include thorough testing of patches to ensure they do not introduce regressions in theme functionality while effectively addressing the XSS vulnerability.