CVE-2016-1565 in Field Group Module
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Field Group module 7.x-1.x before 7.x-1.5 for Drupal allows remote authenticated users with permission to configure field display settings to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via an element attribute.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/06/2018
The CVE-2016-1565 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Field Group module for Drupal version 7.x-1.x, specifically affecting releases prior to 7.x-1.5. This vulnerability resides in the module's handling of element attributes during field display configuration, creating a persistent security risk for Drupal installations that utilize this functionality. The flaw allows attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of a victim's browser, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data or complete compromise of user sessions. The vulnerability specifically targets authenticated users who possess the permission to configure field display settings, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users have administrative privileges or content management capabilities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding within the Field Group module's attribute handling mechanisms. When administrators configure field display settings through the Drupal interface, the module fails to properly sanitize element attributes before rendering them in the user interface. This insufficient sanitization creates an XSS vector where malicious users can inject script tags or other malicious HTML content into attribute values. The vulnerability manifests when the module processes these attributes for display in the browser, executing the injected code in the context of the victim's session. This type of flaw typically maps to CWE-79, which describes Cross-site Scripting vulnerabilities resulting from improper handling of untrusted data in web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform sophisticated attacks such as session hijacking, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation within the Drupal environment. An attacker with field display configuration permissions could craft malicious attribute values that, when rendered, would execute scripts to steal cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or modify content displayed to other users. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires minimal privileges to exploit, as it only requires access to the field display configuration interface. This means that even users with limited administrative rights could potentially leverage this vulnerability to compromise the entire system. The attack vector is facilitated through the standard Drupal administrative interface, making it difficult to detect and prevent without proper input validation mechanisms.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately apply the patch released in Field Group module version 7.x-1.5, which addresses the input sanitization issues by implementing proper HTML escaping and attribute validation. The recommended mitigation strategy includes not only updating to the patched version but also reviewing user permissions to ensure that only trusted administrators have access to field display configuration settings. Security teams should implement additional monitoring for suspicious attribute values in field configurations and consider implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers as an additional defense-in-depth measure. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and output encoding in web applications, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1213 for Credential Access and T1566 for Phishing, as attackers could use this vulnerability to harvest session cookies or user credentials through crafted malicious payloads. Organizations should also conduct regular security audits of their Drupal modules to identify similar vulnerabilities and maintain updated security practices that align with industry standards such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST Cybersecurity Framework.