CVE-2018-20563 in DouPHP
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in DouCo DouPHP 1.5 20181221. admin/mobile.php?rec=system&act=update has XSS via the mobile_name parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/25/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-20563 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within the DouCo DouPHP content management system version 1.5 released on 20181221. This security weakness specifically affects the administrative interface component located at admin/mobile.php, where the system processes requests with the parameters rec=system and act=update. The flaw manifests through improper input validation of the mobile_name parameter, which allows malicious actors to inject malicious scripts into the application's response.
This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically representing a stored or reflected XSS attack vector depending on how the input is processed and stored within the system. The affected parameter mobile_name is likely used to configure mobile device settings or mobile application names within the administrative panel, making it a critical entry point for attackers seeking to compromise the administrative interface. The vulnerability exists because the application fails to properly sanitize or encode user-supplied input before incorporating it into dynamic web page content, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of authenticated administrator sessions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides attackers with potential access to the administrative interface of the DouCo DouPHP system. An attacker who successfully exploits this XSS vulnerability could execute malicious scripts in the browser of any administrator who views the affected page, potentially leading to session hijacking, privilege escalation, or data exfiltration. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it targets the administrative section of the application, which typically has elevated privileges and access to sensitive system configurations, user data, and potentially the underlying database. This could result in complete system compromise if attackers can leverage the administrative access to modify system settings, inject backdoors, or access confidential information.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. The primary defense involves sanitizing all user-supplied input, particularly parameters used in administrative interfaces, through the implementation of strict input validation that rejects or encodes potentially dangerous characters. The system should employ context-specific output encoding when displaying user-supplied data, particularly within HTML contexts, to prevent script execution. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts can be loaded and executed. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar input validation weaknesses throughout the application, particularly in administrative components where the potential impact of XSS attacks is highest. The application should also implement proper access controls and authentication mechanisms to limit the scope of potential damage from any successful exploitation attempts.
This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213.002 for Data from Information Repositories and T1566.001 for Phishing, as attackers could leverage the XSS to gain access to sensitive administrative data or use the compromised administrative session to launch further attacks. Organizations using DouCo DouPHP should immediately update to the latest version or implement the necessary patches to address this vulnerability, as the administrative interface is a prime target for attackers seeking persistent access to web applications. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in web applications, particularly within administrative interfaces where the potential impact of security flaws can be catastrophic to overall system security.