CVE-2018-9122 in Crea8Social
Summary
by MITRE
In Crea8social 2018.2, there is Reflected Cross-Site Scripting via the term parameter to the /search URI.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/18/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-9122 affects Crea8social version 2018.2 and represents a reflected cross-site scripting flaw that occurs when the application fails to properly sanitize user input passed through the term parameter in the /search URI. This type of vulnerability allows attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of a victim's browser when they access a specially crafted URL. The flaw resides in the application's handling of search queries where the term parameter is directly reflected back to users without adequate input validation or output encoding mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization of user-supplied data within the search functionality of the Crea8social platform. When users perform searches, the term parameter is processed and returned in the HTTP response without proper HTML entity encoding or other security measures that would prevent script execution. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious payloads that include JavaScript code within the search term, which gets executed when other users view the search results page. This vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 for Exploitation for Client Execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it provides attackers with potential access to user sessions, credentials, or sensitive data depending on the privileges of the affected user. An attacker could craft payloads that steal cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that the attack requires user interaction through a specially crafted link, making it a server-side vulnerability that can be exploited through social engineering or by compromising user sessions. This vulnerability is particularly concerning in social networking platforms like Crea8social where users frequently interact with search functionality and may be exposed to malicious payloads through shared content or targeted attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-9122 should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's search functionality. Developers should ensure that all user-supplied input is sanitized before being processed or returned in HTTP responses, with special attention to HTML encoding of characters that could be interpreted as markup. The application should implement Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution, and consider using parameterized queries or prepared statements for search operations. Additionally, regular security audits should be conducted to identify similar input validation gaps, and the platform should be updated to the latest version where this vulnerability has been patched. Organizations using Crea8social should also implement web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious search parameter patterns, and establish secure coding practices that prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future development cycles.