CVE-2018-9121 in Crea8Social
Summary
by MITRE
In Crea8social 2018.2, there is Stored Cross-Site Scripting via a post comment.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/18/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-9121 represents a critical security flaw in Crea8social version 2018.2 that enables attackers to execute malicious scripts through stored cross-site scripting techniques. This vulnerability specifically manifests within the platform's comment functionality, where user-generated content is not properly sanitized before being stored in the database and subsequently rendered to other users. The flaw allows an attacker to inject malicious javascript code into post comments that will execute in the browsers of other users who view the affected content. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which is a fundamental weakness in web application security where input data is not adequately validated or escaped before being incorporated into web pages.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when a malicious actor submits a comment containing javascript payload through the platform's commenting system. The application fails to implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms, allowing the injected script to be permanently stored in the database. When other users navigate to the affected post or comment section, their browsers execute the malicious script within the context of the vulnerable application. This creates a persistent threat that can be leveraged for session hijacking, credential theft, defacement of content, or redirection to malicious sites. The attack vector operates entirely through the existing comment functionality without requiring any special privileges or authentication, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by anyone with access to the commenting system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption or theft, as it fundamentally undermines the trust and security model of the social platform. Users who engage with the application expect their interactions to be safe from malicious interference, but this vulnerability creates a persistent threat that can affect all users who view compromised content. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious payload remains active even after the initial injection, creating a long-term risk that can be exploited repeatedly by different users. This type of vulnerability is particularly concerning in social media contexts where users often share content with others, potentially amplifying the impact of a single compromised comment across the entire user base.
Organizations and security practitioners should implement immediate mitigations including comprehensive input validation and output encoding for all user-generated content, particularly within comment and post fields. The solution involves implementing strict sanitization of all incoming data to remove or escape potentially dangerous characters and script tags before storage. Additionally, implementing proper Content Security Policy headers can provide an additional layer of defense against script execution. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 - Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, which emphasizes the importance of preventing malicious script execution through proper input validation and output encoding. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components, as this represents a common pattern in web application security flaws. The remediation process should include thorough code review of all user input handling mechanisms and implementation of robust security libraries or frameworks designed to prevent cross-site scripting attacks.