CVE-2014-8745 in Custom Search module
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Custom Search module 6.x-1.x before 6.x-1.13 and 7.x-1.x before 7.x-1.15 for Drupal allows remote authenticated users with the "administer taxonomy" permission to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a taxonomy vocabulary label.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/24/2018
The CVE-2014-8745 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Custom Search module for Drupal platforms, specifically affecting versions 6.x-1.x prior to 6.x-1.13 and 7.x-1.x prior to 7.x-1.15. This vulnerability operates as a server-side input validation failure that enables malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content into the application's response. The flaw is particularly concerning because it requires only authenticated access with the specific "administer taxonomy" permission, making it exploitable by users who already have administrative privileges within the Drupal environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of user input within the taxonomy vocabulary label field. When administrators create or modify taxonomy vocabularies through the Custom Search module interface, the application fails to properly escape or validate the input data before rendering it in the web response. This omission creates an opportunity for attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers when they view pages containing the compromised vocabulary labels. The vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1190 which covers exploitation of vulnerabilities in web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive administrative credentials, or redirect users to malicious websites. Since the attack requires only the "administer taxonomy" permission, it can be exploited by insiders or compromised accounts with elevated privileges, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability's exploitation is straightforward as it does not require complex attack chains or specialized tools, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrative accounts are frequently targeted. Organizations using affected Drupal versions may experience unauthorized access to sensitive data, potential data exfiltration, and complete loss of administrative control over their taxonomy management features.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-8745 primarily involve immediate application of the vendor-provided security patches that address the input validation deficiencies in the Custom Search module. Organizations should also implement comprehensive input sanitization measures, including the use of HTML entity encoding for all user-supplied content before storage and display. Regular security audits of Drupal modules and core applications should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities. Network segmentation and privilege separation can help limit the potential impact if an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, while monitoring for unusual administrative activities can aid in early detection of exploitation attempts. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and content security policies can provide additional layers of protection against XSS attacks targeting the affected functionality.