CVE-2014-8743 in Maestro
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the Maestro module 7.x-1.x before 7.x-1.4 for Drupal allow remote authenticated users with certain permissions to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a (1) Role or (2) Organic Group name.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/13/2019
The CVE-2014-8743 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness discovered in the Maestro module for Drupal CMS version 7.x-1.x prior to version 7.x-1.4. This vulnerability specifically affects authenticated users who possess certain permissions within the Drupal system, creating a significant security risk that could be exploited by malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code. The Maestro module, designed to provide project management capabilities within Drupal environments, became a vector for attacker exploitation through its handling of user-defined role and organic group names.
The technical flaw manifests in the insufficient input validation and output escaping mechanisms within the Maestro module's processing of user-supplied data. When authenticated users with appropriate permissions create or modify role names or organic group names, the module fails to properly sanitize or escape these inputs before rendering them in web pages. This oversight allows attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers when they view the affected pages. The vulnerability specifically targets the handling of these two data elements because they are rendered in contexts where HTML output is expected without proper sanitization, creating an attack surface that aligns with common XSS exploitation patterns.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it enables attackers to potentially steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of other users, or redirect victims to malicious websites. Since the vulnerability requires only authenticated access with specific permissions, it represents a privilege escalation risk that could allow attackers to gain broader access to the Drupal site. The affected users are those with permissions to manage roles or organic groups, which are typically administrative or content management roles, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations relying on Drupal's role-based access control. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which is a fundamental weakness in web application security.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-8743 include immediate upgrading to Maestro module version 7.x-1.4 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the input validation issues. Organizations should also implement additional security measures such as input sanitization at the application level and output encoding for all user-supplied data. Regular security auditing of Drupal modules and implementing the principle of least privilege can help reduce the attack surface. The vulnerability's classification aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 - Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, as it allows attackers to execute JavaScript code through web-based interfaces. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can provide defense-in-depth measures to prevent script execution even if XSS vulnerabilities exist elsewhere in the application. Organizations should also consider monitoring for unusual activity related to role and group management operations, as these actions may indicate exploitation attempts.