CVE-2017-14510 in SugarCRM
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in SugarCRM before 7.7.2.3, 7.8.x before 7.8.2.2, and 7.9.x before 7.9.2.0 (and Sugar Community Edition 6.5.26). The WebToLeadCapture functionality is found vulnerable to unauthenticated cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. This attack vector is mitigated by proper validating the redirect URL values being passed along.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/29/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-14510 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the SugarCRM platform that affects multiple version branches including 7.7.x, 7.8.x, and 7.9.x releases prior to their respective security patches. This issue specifically targets the WebToLeadCapture functionality which serves as a crucial integration point for capturing lead information from web forms and redirecting users to appropriate landing pages. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize redirect URL parameters, creating an exploitable entry point for malicious actors to inject malicious scripts into the application's response. This weakness operates at the intersection of web application security and user interaction patterns where legitimate form submissions become vectors for script injection attacks.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts malicious redirect URLs that contain XSS payloads within the WebToLeadCapture functionality. The flaw resides in the application's failure to validate and sanitize redirect parameters before processing them, allowing attackers to bypass authentication requirements and inject malicious JavaScript code that executes in the context of the victim's browser. This unauthenticated attack vector represents a significant security risk as it does not require any prior authorization or credentials to exploit, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where the application serves numerous users. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting flaws as weaknesses in web application input validation and output encoding.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-14510 extends beyond simple script injection, potentially enabling attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive user data, manipulate application functionality, or redirect users to malicious websites. When combined with other attack techniques, this vulnerability could facilitate more sophisticated attacks such as credential theft or privilege escalation within the CRM system. The presence of this flaw in multiple version branches indicates a systemic issue in the application's input validation architecture that affects both enterprise and community editions. Organizations utilizing SugarCRM in their customer relationship management workflows face significant risk of data compromise and operational disruption if this vulnerability remains unpatched.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper input validation and sanitization procedures for all redirect URL parameters within the WebToLeadCapture functionality. Security teams should implement strict URL validation that ensures redirect destinations are either pre-approved, whitelisted, or properly encoded to prevent script injection. The recommended approach aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 which focuses on exploiting web application vulnerabilities through input validation bypasses. Organizations must also ensure that all affected versions are updated to the patched releases, specifically versions 7.7.2.3, 7.8.2.2, and 7.9.2.0, while implementing additional security monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. Network-level protections including web application firewalls and content security policies should be deployed to provide defense-in-depth against similar vulnerabilities in other application components.