CVE-2021-40238 in Webuzo
Summary
by MITRE • 09/16/2021
A Cross Site Scriptiong (XSS) vulnerability exists in the admin panel in Webuzo < 2.9.0 via an HTTP request to a non-existent page, which is activated by administrators viewing the "Error Log" page. An attacker can leverage this to achieve Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution via the "Cron Jobs" functionality of Webuzo.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/19/2021
This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in the Webuzo control panel software affecting versions prior to 290. The issue manifests through a cross site scripting vulnerability that specifically targets the administrative interface when users navigate to non-existent pages and subsequently view the error log functionality. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization mechanisms within the web application's error handling system. When administrators access the error log page after encountering failed requests to nonexistent endpoints, the application fails to properly escape or filter user-supplied data that may have been included in the original HTTP request parameters.
The technical exploitation pathway begins with an attacker crafting malicious HTTP requests to non-existent pages within the Webuzo administrative interface. This initial payload triggers the error logging mechanism which then displays the malformed input without proper sanitization. The XSS vulnerability allows attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute within the context of the administrator's browser session. This privilege escalation opportunity becomes particularly dangerous when combined with the application's cron job functionality, which provides an additional attack vector for remote code execution. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 Cross Site Scripting and CWE-94 Code Injection, representing a classic chaining attack pattern where initial XSS leads to more severe exploitation capabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it enables unauthenticated remote code execution without requiring valid administrative credentials. Attackers can leverage the cron job functionality to execute arbitrary commands on the target system, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability affects the administrative panel specifically, making it particularly concerning for system administrators who regularly monitor error logs. This creates a dangerous scenario where routine administrative activities become potential attack vectors. The attack requires minimal privileges to initiate and can be executed from any network location without authentication, making it highly dangerous in production environments.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability require immediate patching of Webuzo installations to version 290 or later, which includes proper input validation and output sanitization for error handling components. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to administrative interfaces and establish robust monitoring for unusual error log entries that may indicate exploitation attempts. The fix addresses the root cause by ensuring proper HTML escaping and input validation in all user-supplied data that appears in error log displays. Additional defensive measures include implementing content security policies to prevent script execution, restricting administrative access through firewall rules, and conducting regular security audits of web application components. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of comprehensive input validation across all application interfaces, particularly those handling administrative functions and system logs, as highlighted by ATT&CK technique T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application.