CVE-2018-11343 in SoundsGood
Summary
by MITRE
A persistent cross site scripting vulnerability in playlistmanger.cgi in the ASUSTOR SoundsGood application allows attackers to store cross site scripting payloads via the 'playlist' POST parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/07/2020
The CVE-2018-11343 vulnerability represents a critical persistent cross site scripting flaw within the ASUSTOR SoundsGood application's playlistmanger.cgi component. This vulnerability specifically affects the web interface of the ASUSTOR NAS device, where the application fails to properly sanitize user input when processing the 'playlist' parameter through POST requests. The flaw allows malicious actors to inject persistent XSS payloads that can be stored on the server and subsequently executed whenever the affected page is accessed by other users. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that enables attackers to inject client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of the playlistmanger.cgi script which processes playlist data submitted via HTTP POST requests. When an attacker submits a specially crafted payload through the 'playlist' parameter, the application fails to validate or escape the input before storing it in the application's database or configuration files. This stored payload then becomes persistent and executes in the context of other users who access the playlist management interface. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it allows for long-term persistence of malicious code within the application environment, potentially enabling session hijacking, data exfiltration, or further exploitation of the underlying system.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-11343 extends beyond simple script execution as it provides attackers with a foothold for more sophisticated attacks within the ASUSTOR NAS environment. Once an attacker successfully injects a persistent XSS payload, they can leverage this to steal user sessions, capture sensitive information, or redirect users to malicious sites. The vulnerability affects the entire SoundsGood application ecosystem, potentially compromising audio playlist management features and exposing users to various attack vectors. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1566 for Phishing, as attackers can use the stored XSS to redirect users to malicious sites or harvest credentials. The persistence aspect of the vulnerability means that even if users change their passwords or clear browser caches, the malicious payload remains active until manually removed by administrators.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-11343 require immediate patching of the affected ASUSTOR SoundsGood application to ensure proper input sanitization and output encoding of user-supplied data. Organizations should implement strict parameter validation for all inputs processed by playlistmanger.cgi, particularly focusing on the 'playlist' parameter. Input validation should include whitelisting of acceptable characters and lengths, while output encoding must be applied to prevent script execution in the browser context. Additionally, network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of the affected application to untrusted users. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual POST requests to playlistmanger.cgi, and administrators should regularly audit stored playlist data for malicious content. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper secure coding practices and input validation as outlined in OWASP Top Ten and NIST SP 800-53 security controls, emphasizing that all user-supplied data must be treated as untrusted and properly sanitized before processing or storage.