CVE-2018-10029 in CMS Made Simple
Summary
by MITRE
CMS Made Simple (aka CMSMS) 2.2.7 has Reflected XSS in admin/moduleinterface.php via the m1_name parameter, related to moduledepends, a different vulnerability than CVE-2017-16799.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/24/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-10029 affects CMS Made Simple version 2.2.7 and represents a reflected cross-site scripting flaw within the administrative module interface. This security weakness exists in the admin/moduleinterface.php script where the m1_name parameter fails to properly sanitize user input before rendering it in the web response. The vulnerability specifically relates to the moduledepends functionality and operates independently from the previously discovered CVE-2017-16799, indicating a distinct code path for exploitation. The reflected nature of this XSS vulnerability means that an attacker can inject malicious scripts through a crafted URL parameter that gets executed in the victim's browser when the page is loaded, without requiring any persistent storage of the malicious code within the application itself.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding practices within the CMSMS administrative interface. When the m1_name parameter is processed through the moduleinterface.php endpoint, the application fails to properly escape or filter special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code. This allows an attacker to craft a malicious URL containing script tags or other harmful payloads that will be reflected back to the user's browser when the page containing the vulnerable parameter is accessed. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it targets the administrative interface, which typically requires elevated privileges and contains sensitive functionality that could be exploited to compromise the entire content management system.
The operational impact of this reflected XSS vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the ability to perform various malicious activities within the context of the authenticated admin session. Attackers could potentially steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, modify the administrative interface to hide or alter functionality, or even execute commands if the application's privilege model allows for such actions. The vulnerability affects the module management capabilities of the system, which could lead to unauthorized module installations or modifications that might escalate the attack further. Given that this vulnerability exists in the admin interface, successful exploitation could result in complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or unauthorized content manipulation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's codebase. The primary fix involves ensuring that all user-supplied parameters, particularly those used in administrative interfaces, are properly validated and escaped before being rendered in web responses. Organizations should implement Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution capabilities and prevent unauthorized code injection. Additionally, regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar input validation gaps, with particular attention to parameters that interact with module management features. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and could be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for scripting languages, representing a common vector for privilege escalation attacks in content management systems. Updates to CMSMS version 2.2.8 or later should be prioritized to address this vulnerability, as the developers have released patches specifically targeting this reflected XSS flaw in their administrative modules.