CVE-2014-8996 in Nibbleblog
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Nibbleblog before 4.0.2 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) author_name or (2) content parameter to index.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/04/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-8996 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Nibbleblog versions prior to 4.0.2. This vulnerability resides within the web application's input validation mechanisms and specifically targets two distinct parameters within the index.php script. The flaw allows remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive information or account compromise. The vulnerability's severity stems from its ability to affect user sessions and potentially enable further exploitation through session hijacking or data exfiltration techniques. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which is a fundamental weakness in web application security that has been consistently identified as one of the top security risks in the OWASP Top Ten list.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic input sanitization failure where the application fails to properly validate and escape user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages. Attackers can exploit this by submitting malicious payloads through either the author_name or content parameters, which are then reflected back to other users without adequate sanitization. The exploitation process typically involves crafting specially formatted input that contains embedded script tags or other malicious code elements. When the vulnerable application processes these inputs and displays them in the user interface, the embedded scripts execute in the victim's browser context, potentially stealing session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, or performing actions on behalf of the authenticated user. This vulnerability specifically impacts the application's content management functionality, where user-generated content is displayed on blog posts and author information fields.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-8996 extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to establish persistent footholds within the application environment. Once an attacker successfully injects malicious scripts, they can leverage this capability to perform session hijacking, steal user credentials, or redirect users to phishing sites designed to capture additional authentication information. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require physical access to the system or network to exploit it, making it particularly dangerous in publicly accessible web applications. The potential for data exfiltration increases significantly when considering that user sessions are typically maintained through cookies, which can be stolen and used to impersonate legitimate users. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 - Phishing, as attackers can use the XSS capability to redirect users to malicious sites or harvest credentials through credential harvesting scripts.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-8996 focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. The most effective approach involves implementing proper parameter sanitization and HTML escaping for all user-supplied inputs before rendering them in web pages. Organizations should implement Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution and prevent unauthorized code injection. The recommended solution is to upgrade to Nibbleblog version 4.0.2 or later, which includes proper input validation and sanitization measures. Additional protective measures include implementing web application firewalls, conducting regular security code reviews, and establishing input validation frameworks that automatically escape or sanitize user inputs. Security teams should also implement monitoring solutions to detect unusual patterns of input submission that might indicate attempted exploitation. The vulnerability's classification as a persistent security risk emphasizes the importance of regular security assessments and maintaining updated security patches across all web applications to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future.