CVE-2018-16346 in ChemCMS
Summary
by MITRE
ChemCMS 1.0.6 has XSS via the "setting -> website information" field.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/20/2020
ChemCMS version 1.0.6 contains a cross-site scripting vulnerability located within the website information setting field, representing a critical security flaw that allows remote attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting and specifically manifests as a reflected XSS attack vector through the administrative configuration interface. The flaw occurs when the application fails to properly sanitize or encode user input submitted through the website information field, enabling malicious actors to craft specially crafted payloads that execute in the context of other users' browsers when they view the affected pages.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the capability to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive information, manipulate data, and potentially escalate privileges within the application. Attackers can exploit this weakness by submitting malicious JavaScript code through the vulnerable input field, which then gets stored and subsequently executed whenever legitimate users access the affected administrative interface. This creates a persistent threat vector that can be leveraged for account takeovers, data exfiltration, and unauthorized modifications to the website configuration. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it resides within a critical administrative function that controls fundamental website parameters, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to compromise the entire application.
Security professionals should implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate this vulnerability, including input validation, output encoding, and the implementation of Content Security Policies to prevent unauthorized script execution. The recommended remediation involves sanitizing all user inputs through proper encoding techniques such as HTML entity encoding and implementing strict input validation to reject malicious payloads. Additionally, organizations should consider deploying web application firewalls and regularly monitoring application logs for suspicious activities. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213 which involves data from information repositories, and represents a classic example of how insufficient input validation leads to persistent security weaknesses in web applications. Organizations utilizing ChemCMS 1.0.6 should immediately upgrade to patched versions and conduct comprehensive security assessments of their web applications to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of their technology stack.