CVE-2019-7935 in Magento
Summary
by MITRE
A stored cross-site scripting vulnerability exists in the admin panel of Magento Open Source prior to 1.9.4.2, and Magento Commerce prior to 1.14.4.2, Magento 2.1 prior to 2.1.18, Magento 2.2 prior to 2.2.9, Magento 2.3 prior to 2.3.2. This could be exploited by an authenticated user with privileges to modify content page titles to inject malicious javascript.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/20/2020
This stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in Magento's admin panel represents a critical security flaw that allows authenticated attackers to persist malicious code within the system. The vulnerability specifically affects multiple versions of both Magento Open Source and Magento Commerce platforms, creating a widespread risk across the Magento ecosystem. The flaw exists in the content management functionality where page titles can be modified, providing an attack vector that enables persistent XSS attacks through the administrative interface.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization within the admin panel's content management system. When authenticated users with appropriate privileges modify page titles, the system fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before storing it in the database. This allows malicious javascript code to be stored as part of the page title and subsequently executed whenever the affected page is rendered in the browser. The vulnerability is classified as a stored XSS (cwe-79) according to the common weakness enumeration, which specifically addresses situations where malicious scripts are stored on a server and executed when accessed by other users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides attackers with a persistent attack vector that can be exploited by users who already have administrative privileges or who can escalate to such privileges. Once exploited, the malicious javascript can perform actions such as stealing session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, defacing content, or even executing additional attacks against other users within the same administrative environment. The attack requires only an authenticated user with content modification privileges, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrative access is granted to multiple users. This vulnerability directly maps to attack techniques described in the mitre att&ck framework under the credential access and persistence domains.
The affected versions span across multiple Magento releases including Magento 1.x and 2.x series, indicating a long-standing issue that required multiple patches across different product lines. Organizations running vulnerable versions face the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive administrative functions, potential data exfiltration, and complete compromise of the e-commerce platform. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it allows for persistent attacks that can remain undetected for extended periods, as the malicious code is stored server-side and executed automatically when pages are accessed.
Organizations should immediately implement the vendor-provided security patches for their specific Magento versions to address this vulnerability. Additionally, security measures such as input validation, output encoding, and regular security audits should be implemented to prevent similar issues. Network monitoring and intrusion detection systems should be configured to detect suspicious administrative activities. The implementation of web application firewalls and strict access controls for administrative interfaces can provide additional layers of protection. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities within the Magento platform and surrounding infrastructure.