CVE-2014-9042 in ownCloud
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the import functionality in the bookmarks application in ownCloud before 5.0.18, 6.x before 6.0.6, and 7.x before 7.0.3 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML by importing a link with an unspecified protocol. NOTE: this can be leveraged by remote attackers using CVE-2014-9041.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/31/2025
The CVE-2014-9042 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the bookmarks application of ownCloud software ecosystem. This vulnerability specifically affects versions prior to 5.0.18, 6.x prior to 6.0.6, and 7.x prior to 7.0.3, making it a widespread issue across multiple major release lines. The vulnerability resides in the import functionality of the bookmarks application, which is a core feature allowing users to manage and organize their web bookmarks within the ownCloud platform. The flaw enables authenticated remote attackers to execute malicious code through carefully crafted bookmark imports, potentially compromising user sessions and data integrity.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the improper handling of links with unspecified protocols during the import process. When users import bookmarks containing links with unconventional or unspecified protocol schemes, the application fails to adequately sanitize or validate these inputs before rendering them in the user interface. This lack of input validation creates an opening for attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML content that executes within the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates within a legitimate application feature that users frequently employ, making it difficult to detect and prevent through traditional security measures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can be leveraged to create more sophisticated attacks when combined with CVE-2014-9041, which likely represents a related authentication bypass or privilege escalation vulnerability. Attackers could potentially use this XSS flaw to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users within the ownCloud environment. The remote authenticated nature of the vulnerability means that attackers do not require physical access or direct system compromise, but can exploit the flaw from anywhere on the network. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where ownCloud is used for collaborative document sharing and file management.
Organizations utilizing affected versions of ownCloud should prioritize immediate patching to address this vulnerability. The mitigation strategy should include updating to the patched versions 5.0.18, 6.0.6, and 7.0.3 respectively, which contain proper input sanitization mechanisms for the import functionality. Additionally, network administrators should implement monitoring for suspicious import activities and consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious import attempts. From a security framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 (Cross-site Scripting) and represents a classic example of how web application input validation failures can lead to severe client-side exploitation. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this under T1566 (Phishing) and potentially T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) as attackers could use the XSS to establish persistent access or execute further malicious commands through compromised user sessions.