CVE-2018-17086 in OTCMS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in OTCMS 3.61. XSS exists in admin/share_switch.php via these parameters: fieldName fieldName2 tabName.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/24/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-17086 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within OTCMS version 3.61 that specifically affects the admin/share_switch.php component. This security weakness allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web applications through carefully crafted input parameters, creating potential risks for both administrative users and system integrity. The vulnerability manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize or encode user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamic web content, particularly within the context of administrative interfaces where elevated privileges may exist.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through three specific parameters: fieldName, fieldName2, and tabName within the admin/share_switch.php script. These parameters appear to control various aspects of data handling and interface configuration within the content management system's administrative backend. When an attacker successfully injects malicious JavaScript code through any of these parameters, the script executes in the context of the victim's browser session, potentially allowing for session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized administrative actions. The vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, where inadequate input validation and output encoding create opportunities for malicious code injection.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it provides attackers with a foothold within the administrative environment of the OTCMS system. Administrative users who visit pages containing the maliciously injected content could unknowingly execute scripts that compromise their sessions or provide attackers with elevated privileges. This poses significant risks to data integrity, system availability, and overall security posture since administrative interfaces typically contain sensitive functionality and access to critical system resources. The vulnerability represents a medium to high severity risk depending on the system configuration and the attacker's ability to manipulate the affected parameters through legitimate administrative workflows.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-17086 should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the affected application components. The most effective immediate solution involves sanitizing all user-supplied input parameters before they are processed or displayed within the web interface, particularly for parameters fieldName, fieldName2, and tabName in the admin/share_switch.php file. Security measures should include implementing Content Security Policy headers, proper HTML encoding of dynamic content, and input validation that rejects or removes potentially malicious characters from user input. Additionally, organizations should consider applying the vendor-provided security patches or upgrading to newer versions of OTCMS that address this vulnerability, as recommended by the software vendor's security advisories. The remediation process should also include comprehensive security testing to ensure that similar vulnerabilities do not exist in other components of the application, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1190 which focuses on exploiting vulnerabilities in web applications through injection attacks.