CVE-2015-1058 in AdaptCMS
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in AdaptCMS 3.0.3 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) data[Category][title] parameter to admin/categories/add, (2) data[Field][title] parameter to admin/fields/ajax_fields/, (3) name property in a basicInfo JSON object to admin/tools/create_theme, (4) data[Link][link_title] parameter to admin/links/links/add, or (5) data[ForumTopic][subject] parameter to forums/off-topic/new.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/10/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-1058 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting AdaptCMS 3.0.3, a content management system that serves as a platform for web content creation and management. This vulnerability manifests across multiple administrative endpoints, creating a comprehensive attack surface that allows remote threat actors to execute malicious scripts within the context of authenticated user sessions. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the CMS's administrative interfaces, specifically targeting parameters used for content creation and management operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through several distinct attack vectors that all share the common weakness of insufficient parameter filtering. The first vector targets the data[Category][title] parameter in the admin/categories/add endpoint, where user-supplied category titles are directly incorporated into the page without proper sanitization. Similarly, the data[Field][title] parameter in admin/fields/ajax_fields/ presents another avenue for injection attacks, while the name property within the basicInfo JSON object in admin/tools/create_theme creates a third potential entry point. The data[Link][link_title] parameter in admin/links/links/add and data[ForumTopic][subject] parameter in forums/off-topic/new complete the attack surface by exposing additional input fields to malicious script injection attempts. These parameters are processed without adequate encoding or validation, allowing attackers to inject malicious HTML or JavaScript code that executes in the browsers of other users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers to manipulate the CMS functionality and potentially escalate privileges within the administrative environment. An attacker could leverage these XSS vulnerabilities to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or inject persistent malicious content that affects all users interacting with the compromised CMS. The attack vectors span across multiple administrative functions including category management, field configuration, theme creation, link management, and forum operations, providing attackers with comprehensive control over the content management system. This vulnerability directly violates security principle 10 from the OWASP Top 10 2017, which addresses XSS flaws, and aligns with CWE-79 which describes Cross-site Scripting vulnerabilities. The exploitation of these flaws could lead to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and unauthorized modifications to the website content.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-1058 require immediate implementation of proper input validation and output encoding across all affected parameters. Organizations should implement strict sanitization of all user-supplied data before processing, utilizing context-appropriate encoding techniques such as HTML entity encoding for display contexts and JavaScript encoding for script contexts. The recommended approach aligns with the ATT&CK framework's T1203 technique for Exploitation for Credential Access, as the vulnerability enables unauthorized access to administrative functions. System administrators should also implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit script execution sources and deploy web application firewalls to detect and block malicious input patterns. Regular security audits and input validation testing should be conducted to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future versions, while also implementing proper access controls and monitoring mechanisms to detect unauthorized administrative activities that may result from successful exploitation of these XSS flaws.