CVE-2018-14397 in Creme
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Creme CRM 1.6.12. The organization creation page is affected by 9 stored cross-site scripting vulnerabilities involving the name, billing_address-address, billing_address-zipcode, billing_address-city, billing_address-department, shipping_address-address, shipping_address-zipcode, shipping_address-city, and shipping_address-department parameters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/21/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-14397 represents a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw within Creme CRM version 1.6.12 that compromises the integrity of user data and system security. This issue affects the organization creation functionality where multiple parameters are susceptible to malicious input injection, creating a persistent threat vector that can impact all users interacting with the affected application. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly filter malicious script content submitted through the organization creation form. The affected parameters including name, billing_address-address, billing_address-zipcode, billing_address-city, billing_address-department, shipping_address-address, shipping_address-zipcode, shipping_address-city, and shipping_address-department all lack proper security controls to prevent script injection attacks, making them potential entry points for attackers to execute malicious code within the context of other users' browsers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-079, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications. This weakness allows attackers to inject malicious scripts that persist in the application's database and execute whenever affected pages are loaded or accessed by other users. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that once malicious content is submitted and saved to the database, it remains active until manually removed, creating a persistent threat that can affect multiple users over extended periods. The attack vector exploits the application's failure to properly sanitize user inputs before storing them in the backend database, which is a fundamental security control that should prevent such injection attacks. This flaw demonstrates poor input validation practices and inadequate output encoding mechanisms that are essential for preventing XSS vulnerabilities in web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption or display issues, as it creates potential pathways for more sophisticated attacks including session hijacking, credential theft, and privilege escalation within the CRM environment. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can execute scripts in the context of other users' sessions, potentially gaining access to sensitive customer data, financial information, and internal communications stored within the CRM system. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that the vulnerability affects core organizational data fields that are frequently accessed and displayed within the application interface. Users who view affected organization records could unknowingly execute malicious scripts that compromise their browser sessions, potentially leading to complete system compromise if attackers can leverage the initial XSS vector to escalate privileges or access additional system resources.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms across all user input fields within the CRM application. The recommended approach involves applying strict sanitization filters to all parameters before storage and implementing proper HTML encoding when displaying user-supplied content to prevent script execution in browser contexts. Organizations should immediately apply the vendor-provided patch or upgrade to a version that addresses this vulnerability, as the stored nature of the flaw means that any previously submitted malicious content remains active until remediation is complete. Security measures should include implementing content security policies, enforcing proper access controls, and establishing regular input validation testing procedures to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in the future. Additionally, the organization should conduct comprehensive security assessments of the entire CRM application to identify and remediate any additional cross-site scripting vulnerabilities that may exist within the system, ensuring that proper security controls are implemented across all application components. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of input validation and output encoding in preventing persistent security flaws that can compromise entire user bases within web applications.