CVE-2018-20561 in DouPHP
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in DouCo DouPHP 1.5 20181221. admin/article.php?rec=update has XSS via the title parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/25/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-20561 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within the DouCo DouPHP 1.5 content management system, specifically affecting the administrative article management component. This issue exists in the admin/article.php script where the rec=update parameter processes user input without adequate sanitization, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts into the application's administrative interface. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it targets the administrative section of the system, which typically contains sensitive functionality and access controls that govern the entire website's content management operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding practices within the DouPHP administrative interface. When administrators navigate to the article update functionality and manipulate the title parameter, the application fails to properly escape or validate the input before rendering it within the web page context. This allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code that executes within the browser of any administrator who views the affected page. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting flaws as weaknesses in input validation and output encoding, specifically addressing the failure to sanitize user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it provides attackers with potential access to administrative privileges and the ability to manipulate the entire website's content management system. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could execute commands as the administrative user, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or the deployment of additional malicious payloads. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires minimal user interaction beyond the administrative login, as the malicious script executes automatically when administrators view affected content within the administrative interface. This vulnerability falls under the ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, specifically focusing on JavaScript execution within web browsers.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate input sanitization and output encoding of all user-supplied data within the administrative interface, particularly for parameters like title that are rendered in HTML contexts. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against script execution, while regular security audits and input validation routines should be established to prevent similar issues in future releases. Organizations using DouPHP 1.5 should urgently apply the vendor-supplied patch or upgrade to a more recent version of the software, as this vulnerability represents a critical security risk that could lead to complete system compromise. The remediation process should also include comprehensive security training for administrators to recognize potential social engineering attempts that might exploit this vulnerability, as well as regular monitoring of web application logs for suspicious activity patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.