CVE-2017-9251 in FineCMS
Summary
by MITRE
andrzuk/FineCMS through 2017-05-28 is vulnerable to a reflected XSS in the sitename parameter to admin.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/03/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-9251 affects the FineCMS content management system version 2017-05-28 and earlier, presenting a reflected cross-site scripting flaw that could enable attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of a victim's browser. This vulnerability specifically manifests in the admin.php script where the sitename parameter is improperly handled, creating an avenue for attackers to inject malicious code that gets reflected back to users. The flaw resides in the application's failure to properly sanitize or encode user-supplied input before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages, which represents a classic example of insecure input handling that violates fundamental web security principles.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious URL containing crafted JavaScript code within the sitename parameter of the admin.php endpoint. When an unsuspecting administrator or user clicks on this malicious link, the reflected XSS payload executes in their browser session, potentially allowing attackers to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of victims, or redirect users to malicious websites. This vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through spearphishing attachments or links, making it particularly dangerous in administrative contexts where elevated privileges are present. The reflected nature of this XSS means that the malicious payload is not stored on the server but rather delivered and executed immediately upon user interaction with the crafted link.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it can enable attackers to gain unauthorized access to administrative functions, steal sensitive information, or manipulate the CMS functionality. Since the vulnerability affects the admin.php endpoint, successful exploitation could allow attackers to modify website content, create new user accounts, access sensitive configuration data, or even escalate privileges within the CMS environment. The reflected nature makes this vulnerability particularly challenging to detect and prevent, as it does not leave persistent traces on the server and can be delivered through various attack vectors including email phishing campaigns or compromised websites. Organizations using affected versions of FineCMS face significant risk of data compromise and unauthorized access to their web applications, especially when administrators are targeted through social engineering attacks that leverage this vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-9251 should prioritize immediate patching of the affected FineCMS versions to the latest releases that address the reflected XSS vulnerability in the admin.php script. Organizations should implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms to sanitize all user-supplied parameters before they are processed or displayed in web responses, which directly addresses the root cause of the vulnerability. Additionally, implementing content security policies can provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts can be executed within the browser. Security monitoring should include detection of suspicious parameter patterns in web access logs, particularly focusing on unusual or malformed input in administrative endpoints. Network-based intrusion detection systems can be configured to identify and block known malicious payloads associated with reflected XSS attacks, while also enforcing strict access controls and authentication mechanisms for administrative interfaces to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts.