CVE-2018-16726 in razorCMS
Summary
by MITRE
razorCMS 3.4.7 allows HTML injection via the description of the homepage within the settings component.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/16/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-16726 represents a critical HTML injection flaw within razorCMS version 3.4.7 that specifically targets the homepage description field within the settings component. This issue falls under the category of insecure input handling and demonstrates a classic lack of proper output encoding mechanisms. The vulnerability exists because the CMS fails to adequately sanitize or escape user-supplied content when rendering the homepage description field, creating an opportunity for malicious actors to inject arbitrary HTML code that will be executed in the context of legitimate user sessions.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts malicious HTML content within the homepage description field through the administrative settings interface. This injected HTML code bypasses the application's security controls and gets rendered directly into the web page output without proper sanitization. The flaw is particularly dangerous because it allows attackers to inject scripts, malicious links, or other HTML content that can be executed by other users who view the affected page. This type of vulnerability is classified as CWE-79 - Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) and specifically represents a reflected XSS variant where the malicious input is processed and returned to users without proper encoding.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant security risks for razorCMS installations as it enables attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and phishing attacks. The injected HTML content can be used to redirect users to malicious sites, steal cookies and session tokens, or deface the website content. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in multi-user environments where administrators might inadvertently execute malicious code when viewing the homepage settings. This flaw also violates fundamental security principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten, specifically addressing the risk of XSS vulnerabilities that can lead to complete application compromise. The attack surface is further expanded when considering that many CMS platforms store user input in database fields that are later rendered without proper encoding, making this a widespread pattern of insecure data handling.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-16726 should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. The primary remediation involves ensuring that all user-supplied content, particularly in administrative interfaces, undergoes proper HTML escaping before being stored or rendered. Organizations should implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts and establish proper input sanitization routines that filter out potentially dangerous HTML elements and attributes. The solution aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.002 for command and scripting interpreter and T1566.001 for credential access through social engineering. Additionally, regular security updates and patches should be implemented immediately upon availability, as this vulnerability affects a specific version of the CMS that has likely been superseded by more secure releases. System administrators should also conduct thorough security audits of all CMS components and implement proper access controls to limit who can modify critical settings, thereby reducing the attack surface for such vulnerabilities.