CVE-2015-7307 in CMS Updater Module
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the CMS Updater module 7.x-1.x before 7.x-1.3 for Drupal allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors involving the configuration page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/28/2017
The CVE-2015-7307 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Drupal CMS Updater module version 7.x-1.x prior to 7.x-1.3. This vulnerability resides in the configuration page handling mechanism of the module, which is designed to facilitate automatic updates for Drupal installations. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of other users' browsers, potentially compromising the security of entire Drupal sites. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple script injection as it can be leveraged to perform session hijacking, data theft, and other malicious activities that exploit the trust relationship between users and the vulnerable web application.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization within the CMS Updater module's configuration interface. When administrators or users access the update configuration page, the module fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it in the web page context. This allows attackers to inject malicious HTML or JavaScript code through unspecified vectors that typically involve manipulating form inputs or configuration parameters. The vulnerability operates under CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting flaws as weaknesses in input validation and output encoding. The attack surface is particularly concerning because it targets administrative interfaces where privileged users might be prompted to interact with the vulnerable module, thereby providing attackers with elevated privileges to manipulate site configurations.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to Drupal-based websites that utilize the Updater module for automatic updates. Attackers can exploit this flaw to inject malicious code that executes in the browser context of authenticated users, potentially leading to complete compromise of the site's administrative capabilities. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it allows remote code execution without requiring authentication, as the attack vector targets the configuration page which may be accessible to unauthenticated users. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 for scripting languages and T1566 for spearphishing with social engineering, as attackers can craft malicious payloads that appear legitimate within the update configuration context. The exploitation typically requires minimal technical skill and can be automated, making it a preferred target for mass exploitation campaigns.
The remediation strategy for CVE-2015-7307 centers on immediate patching of the affected Drupal CMS Updater module to version 7.x-1.3 or later, which contains the necessary input validation and sanitization fixes. Organizations should also implement comprehensive monitoring of their web application logs to detect potential exploitation attempts, particularly around configuration page access patterns and unusual parameter submissions. Security measures including web application firewalls, content security policies, and input validation layers should be strengthened to provide defense-in-depth. Additionally, administrators should conduct thorough security assessments of their Drupal installations to identify other potentially vulnerable modules and ensure that all third-party components are kept current with security patches. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date content management systems and implementing proper security controls for administrative interfaces that handle user-provided data.