CVE-2017-6509 in burgundy-cms
Summary
by MITRE
Smith0r/burgundy-cms before 2017-03-06 is vulnerable to a reflected XSS in admin/components/menu/views/menuitems.php (id parameter).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/04/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-6509 affects the Smith0r/burgundy-cms content management system prior to the 2017-03-06 release, representing a critical reflected cross-site scripting flaw that compromises the security of administrative interfaces. This vulnerability specifically targets the admin/components/menu/views/menuitems.php script where the id parameter is not properly sanitized or validated before being incorporated into the HTTP response. The flaw allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code through the id parameter, which gets executed in the context of a victim's browser when they view the affected page. This reflected XSS vulnerability occurs because the application fails to implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms for user-supplied parameters, creating an exploitable entry point for malicious actors seeking to compromise administrative sessions or execute unauthorized actions within the CMS environment.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows standard reflected XSS attack patterns where an attacker crafts a malicious URL containing JavaScript payload in the id parameter and delivers it to an unsuspecting administrator. When the administrator clicks the malicious link and the CMS processes the request, the injected script executes in their browser session, potentially allowing attackers to steal session cookies, perform actions on behalf of the administrator, or redirect users to malicious sites. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79 which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a weakness where untrusted data is sent to a web browser without proper validation or encoding, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 which covers exploitation of web application vulnerabilities through reflected XSS to gain unauthorized access to systems. This particular implementation flaw demonstrates poor input sanitization practices and highlights the critical importance of implementing comprehensive security measures at every layer of web application development.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it provides attackers with potential access to sensitive administrative functions within the burgundy-cms system. Administrative users who view the vulnerable page become compromised, potentially allowing attackers to modify content, create new user accounts, access sensitive data, or even escalate privileges within the CMS environment. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that attackers do not need to persistently store malicious code on the server, making detection more challenging and the attack surface more dynamic. Organizations running affected versions of burgundy-cms face significant risk of unauthorized access, data breaches, and potential complete system compromise if this vulnerability remains unpatched. The vulnerability also demonstrates the broader risk of insufficient security controls in web applications, where basic input validation failures can lead to severe operational consequences.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-6509 involve immediate patching of the burgundy-cms application to the version released after 2017-03-06, which should contain proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation that filters or escapes special characters in all user-supplied parameters before they are processed or displayed in web responses. The recommended approach includes applying proper HTML entity encoding to output data, implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution, and conducting thorough input validation using allowlists rather than denylists. Additionally, organizations should perform regular security assessments of their web applications, implement web application firewalls to detect and block malicious requests, and establish secure coding practices that address the CWE-79 weakness through systematic input validation and output encoding. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious traffic patterns associated with XSS attack attempts, and administrative users should be educated about phishing risks and the importance of verifying URLs before clicking on potentially malicious links. The remediation process should also include reviewing and updating security configurations for all web applications to ensure that similar vulnerabilities do not exist in other components of the system architecture.