CVE-2018-14975 in QCMS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in QCMS 3.0.1. upload/System/Controller/backend/album.php has XSS.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/13/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-14975 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within the QCMS 3.0.1 content management system specifically in the backend album management controller. This issue resides in the file upload/System/Controller/backend/album.php which processes user input without proper sanitization or output encoding, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary JavaScript code into the application's response. The vulnerability manifests when users interact with the album management functionality in the administrative backend, where unfiltered input parameters are directly rendered in the web page output without adequate security measures to prevent script execution.
From a technical perspective this vulnerability classifies under CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which is a fundamental web application security weakness that allows attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of other users' browsers. The flaw occurs because the application fails to properly validate and encode user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web content. When an authenticated administrator or user accesses the affected page with malicious input, the injected JavaScript code executes within the victim's browser session, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or further compromise of the application environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it provides attackers with a potential foothold for more sophisticated attacks within the QCMS environment. An attacker who can successfully exploit this XSS vulnerability gains the ability to manipulate the administrative interface, potentially modifying or deleting content, accessing sensitive data, or establishing persistent access through session manipulation. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in a content management system context where administrative privileges are typically required to access sensitive features, making it a prime target for privilege escalation attempts. The attack vector requires minimal user interaction as the malicious script executes automatically when the affected page is loaded, making it difficult to detect and prevent through standard user awareness measures.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-14975 should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. The most effective approach involves sanitizing all user-supplied input before processing and ensuring that any data rendered in web pages is properly encoded using appropriate context-specific encoding methods such as HTML entity encoding for web page content. Organizations should implement Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution capabilities and establish a robust input validation framework that rejects or sanitizes potentially malicious content. Additionally, regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities across the application codebase, with particular attention to areas where user input is directly incorporated into web responses. The remediation process should also include updating to the latest version of QCMS where this vulnerability has been addressed through proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 - Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, highlighting the importance of defending against script-based attacks in web applications.