CVE-2018-16250 in wityCMS
Summary
by MITRE
The "utilisateur" menu in Creatiwity wityCMS 0.6.2 modifies the presence of XSS at two input points for user information, with the "first name" and "last name" parameters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/07/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-16250 resides within the Creatiwity wityCMS 0.6.2 content management system where the "utilisateur" menu fails to properly sanitize user input parameters. This flaw specifically affects the handling of first name and last name fields during user information modification processes, creating persistent cross-site scripting vulnerabilities that can be exploited by malicious actors. The vulnerability demonstrates a critical weakness in the application's input validation and output encoding mechanisms, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute within the context of other users' browsers. This particular implementation flaw represents a classic case of inadequate sanitization of user-supplied data, which directly violates established security best practices for web application development.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of input fields where user information is stored and subsequently rendered back to users without proper HTML escaping or sanitization. When users navigate to the "utilisateur" menu and modify their personal details, the application fails to encode special characters in the first name and last name parameters, creating opportunities for attackers to inject JavaScript code or other malicious payloads. The vulnerability exists at two distinct input points, indicating a systemic issue in how the application handles user data throughout the user management workflow rather than being isolated to a single endpoint. This dual vulnerability point amplifies the potential impact and attack surface, as an attacker can choose the most effective injection vector for their malicious code.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive user information, or redirect victims to malicious websites. The presence of XSS vulnerabilities in user management interfaces particularly threatens the integrity of the entire CMS, as compromised user accounts can provide attackers with elevated privileges and access to sensitive content. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79 which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a weakness where applications fail to properly validate or encode user-provided data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages. The attack surface is further expanded by the fact that these vulnerabilities exist in a user management interface, meaning that any authenticated user with access to modify their profile information could potentially become a vector for broader attacks within the system.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate implementation of proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's user data handling processes. The most effective remediation involves implementing comprehensive HTML escaping for all user-supplied input before rendering it in web pages, with additional validation to ensure that input parameters conform to expected formats and lengths. Security measures should include the adoption of Content Security Policy headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts, as well as regular security code reviews to identify similar patterns of input handling that may present similar vulnerabilities. Organizations should also implement proper application-level rate limiting and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts, while ensuring that all user input undergoes strict validation against whitelisted character sets. The remediation efforts must align with established security frameworks such as the OWASP Top Ten and NIST Cybersecurity Framework, particularly focusing on the prevention of injection flaws and the implementation of secure coding practices that address the core weaknesses identified in the vulnerability.