CVE-2020-5575 in Movable Type
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting vulnerability in Movable Type series (Movable Type 7 r.4606 (7.2.1) and earlier (Movable Type 7), Movable Type Advanced 7 r.4606 (7.2.1) and earlier (Movable Type Advanced 7), Movable Type for AWS 7 r.4606 (7.2.1) and earlier (Movable Type for AWS 7), Movable Type 6.5.3 and earlier (Movable Type 6.5), Movable Type Advanced 6.5.3 and earlier (Movable Type Advanced 6.5), Movable Type 6.3.11 and earlier (Movable Type 6.3), Movable Type Advanced 6.3.11 and earlier (Movable Type 6.3), Movable Type Premium 1.29 and earlier, and Movable Type Premium Advanced 1.29 and earlier) allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/14/2020
The cross-site scripting vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-5575 affects multiple versions of the Movable Type content management platform across its various editions including standard, advanced, AWS, and premium variants. This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of a victim's browser session, potentially leading to unauthorized access, data theft, or complete compromise of user accounts. The affected versions span from Movable Type 7.2.1 and earlier through various 6.x releases, indicating a widespread impact across the platform's product line. The vulnerability manifests through unspecified vectors, making it particularly concerning as attackers can exploit multiple entry points without specific knowledge of the exact vulnerable components.
This XSS vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-site Scripting, specifically representing a classic reflected or stored XSS attack vector where malicious input is not properly sanitized before being rendered in web pages. The technical flaw lies in the application's failure to adequately validate and escape user-supplied input that gets processed and displayed within the web interface. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that, when executed, can steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that it affects the core CMS functionality where users typically enter content, making it a prime target for exploitation in targeted attacks against content managers and administrators.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, potentially allowing attackers to gain persistent access to user accounts through session hijacking, execute malicious commands on the server, or establish backdoors for continued unauthorized access. In a typical exploitation scenario, an attacker might inject malicious JavaScript into form fields, comment sections, or administrative interfaces, which would then execute when other users view the affected content. This type of vulnerability can be particularly devastating in environments where Movable Type is used for managing sensitive content or where administrators have elevated privileges. The attack surface is further expanded given that the vulnerability affects multiple product variants, increasing the potential attack vectors and making comprehensive patching more complex for organizations with diverse deployments.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including applying the latest security patches provided by Movable Type, implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms, and deploying web application firewalls to detect and block malicious payloads. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of regular security updates and proper input sanitization practices, aligning with ATT&CK framework techniques for command and control communications and credential access. Security teams should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and monitor network traffic for signs of XSS attack patterns. Additionally, implementing content security policies and regular security training for administrators can help reduce the risk of successful exploitation, as many XSS attacks succeed through social engineering or by targeting less security-conscious users who may inadvertently interact with malicious content.