CVE-2015-6808 in Spotlight Module
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Spotlight module 7.x-1.x before 7.x-1.5 for Drupal allows remote authenticated users with certain permissions to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a node title.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/27/2017
The vulnerability CVE-2015-6808 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within the Spotlight module version 7.x-1.x prior to 7.x-1.5 for the Drupal content management system. This issue affects remote authenticated users who possess specific permissions within the Drupal environment, creating a significant security risk that can be exploited to execute malicious scripts in the context of other users' browsers.
The technical flaw manifests in the improper sanitization of node titles within the Spotlight module's processing pipeline. When authenticated users with sufficient privileges create or edit content nodes, the module fails to adequately validate and escape user-provided input before rendering it in web pages. This insufficient input validation creates an XSS vector where malicious payloads can be injected into node titles and subsequently executed when other users view these nodes through the Spotlight module interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it enables attackers to manipulate the behavior of authenticated users within the Drupal environment. An attacker with the appropriate permissions could craft malicious node titles containing JavaScript payloads that would execute in the browsers of other users who view these nodes. This could lead to session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, or the redirection of users to malicious websites. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires only authenticated access with specific permissions rather than administrative privileges, making it accessible to users with lower-level access rights within the system.
The security implications align with CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting vulnerabilities as weaknesses in input validation and output encoding. This vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script injection and T1566 for social engineering through malicious content delivery. Organizations running affected Drupal installations face potential compromise of user sessions and data integrity, as the vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of legitimate users. The exploitation requires minimal privileges and can be automated, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users interact with content management features.
Mitigation strategies include immediate upgrade to Spotlight module version 7.x-1.5 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the XSS vulnerability. Additionally, administrators should implement proper input validation and output encoding practices within their Drupal installations, ensuring that all user-provided content undergoes strict sanitization before being rendered in web pages. Regular security audits and monitoring of module versions can help prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in the future, while role-based access controls should be carefully configured to limit permissions to only those necessary for specific user functions.