CVE-2018-7197 in Pluck
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Pluck through 4.7.4. A stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability allows remote unauthenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML into admin/blog Reaction Comments via a crafted URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/08/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-7197 represents a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw within the Pluck content management system version 4.7.4 and earlier. This security weakness exists in the handling of blog reaction comments, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute persistent XSS attacks against administrators or other users who view the compromised comments. The vulnerability specifically affects the admin/blog Reaction Comments functionality, where user input is not properly sanitized or validated before being rendered back to users. The flaw allows remote unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML code through a specially crafted URL, making it particularly dangerous as it requires no authentication credentials to exploit.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the Pluck application's comment processing pipeline. When administrators or users view blog reaction comments, the system fails to properly escape or filter potentially malicious content that may have been injected during comment submission. This stored XSS vulnerability operates by injecting malicious JavaScript code into the comment field, which then executes in the context of other users' browsers when they view the affected content. The attack vector involves crafting a malicious URL that contains the XSS payload, which gets stored in the database and subsequently executed when other users access the comments section.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it creates a persistent threat vector that can be exploited repeatedly. Administrators who view the compromised comments become vulnerable to various attack scenarios including session hijacking, credential theft, redirection to malicious sites, or execution of arbitrary commands within the browser context. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that once injected, the malicious code remains active until manually removed from the database, potentially affecting multiple users over extended periods. This makes the vulnerability particularly concerning for environments where administrators regularly monitor comment sections or where the application serves as a communication platform for sensitive information.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and output encoding controls, proper sanitization of user-supplied content, and regular security audits of web applications. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which describes cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices that should be addressed through proper input validation and output encoding. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving client-side code injection and credential access, potentially enabling further exploitation through session manipulation or data exfiltration. System administrators should also consider implementing web application firewalls, content security policies, and regular penetration testing to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in their web applications. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of validating and sanitizing all user input, particularly in web applications that handle user-generated content, as these elements often become attack vectors for sophisticated persistent threats.