CVE-2021-35360 in dotCMS
Summary
by MITRE • 07/10/2021
A reflected cross site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in dotAdmin/#/c/containers of dotCMS 21.05.1 allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands or HTML via a crafted payload.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/15/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-35360 represents a critical reflected cross site scripting flaw within the dotCMS content management platform version 21.05.1. This security weakness specifically affects the administrative interface at the path dotAdmin/#/c/containers, where user input is not properly sanitized before being reflected back to the browser. The flaw enables attackers to inject malicious scripts that can execute within the context of a victim's browser session, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive administrative functions and data.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the dotCMS application framework. When users navigate to the affected container management section, the application fails to adequately sanitize parameters passed through the URL or request headers, allowing malicious payloads to be directly embedded into the response. This reflected XSS condition occurs because the application treats user-supplied data as trusted content without proper sanitization or encoding before rendering it in the web page context. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross site scripting flaws where untrusted data is incorporated into web pages without proper validation or encoding.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it provides attackers with potential access to the administrative interface of the dotCMS platform. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to perform session hijacking, steal administrative credentials, modify content, or even escalate privileges within the CMS environment. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that attacks can be delivered through crafted links sent to administrators, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users have access to the administrative interface. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 which describes social engineering attacks through spearphishing with links, and T1071.001 which covers application layer protocol usage for command and control communications.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-35360 should prioritize immediate patching of the dotCMS platform to version 21.05.2 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for this vulnerability. Organizations should also implement additional protective measures including input validation at the application level, output encoding for all user-supplied data, and the implementation of Content Security Policy headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense in depth, though they should not be considered a substitute for proper application-level fixes. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious patterns in administrative access logs, particularly around the affected container management paths. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the CMS infrastructure, as this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of comprehensive input validation across all administrative interfaces.