CVE-2019-7945 in Magento
Summary
by MITRE
A stored cross-cite scripting vulnerability exists in 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. An authenticated user with privileges to modify currency symbols can inject malicious javascript.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/20/2020
This vulnerability represents a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw that affects multiple versions of the Magento e-commerce platform ecosystem. The security weakness stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the currency symbol modification functionality. Attackers with authenticated access possessing appropriate privileges can manipulate currency symbol fields to inject malicious javascript code that persists within the application's database. This stored payload executes whenever the affected currency symbols are rendered in the user interface, creating a persistent threat vector that can compromise user sessions and execute unauthorized actions. The vulnerability specifically targets the currency configuration management system where administrators or users with sufficient privileges can modify currency representation formats.
The technical implementation flaw manifests in the application's failure to properly sanitize user-supplied input when processing currency symbol modifications. When malicious javascript code is submitted through the currency symbol field, it gets stored in the database without adequate filtering or encoding. The vulnerability occurs because the application does not distinguish between legitimate currency representation data and potentially malicious script content during the input validation phase. This allows attackers to embed javascript payloads that execute in the context of other users' browsers when they view pages containing the compromised currency symbols. The flaw falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically classified as a stored XSS vulnerability where the malicious input is permanently stored and later executed by unsuspecting users. The attack chain follows the typical XSS exploitation pattern where the malicious code is first injected, stored, and then triggered during normal application operation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution to potentially enable complete session hijacking, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation within the Magento environment. An attacker could craft malicious payloads that steal session cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or even modify critical application data through the compromised user interface. The vulnerability affects not just the currency display functionality but potentially exposes the entire administrative interface to persistent attacks. Users with elevated privileges who modify currency symbols become vectors for attack propagation, as their sessions could be hijacked to perform unauthorized modifications or access sensitive data. The vulnerability affects multiple Magento versions simultaneously, indicating a systemic issue in the platform's input handling mechanisms that impacts both Magento 1 and Magento 2 branches. This widespread impact creates a significant risk for organizations operating legacy systems without immediate patching capabilities.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of security patches provided by Magento, which address the core input validation issues in currency symbol processing. Organizations should implement additional security controls including web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious javascript payloads in currency-related parameters. The recommended approach involves deploying proper input sanitization mechanisms that filter out potentially malicious content before storage, combined with output encoding that prevents script execution in rendered user interfaces. Security teams should also implement privilege separation controls, ensuring that currency symbol modifications require additional authentication layers or approval workflows. Network-level protections including strict content security policies and regular security scanning of user input fields can provide defense-in-depth measures against exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of following secure coding practices as outlined in OWASP Top 10 and NIST guidelines for preventing XSS attacks. Regular security assessments of administrative interfaces and input validation mechanisms should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other application components. Organizations should also implement monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous currency symbol modifications and alert security teams to potential exploitation attempts.