CVE-2021-41463 in concrete5-legacy
Summary
by MITRE • 10/02/2021
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in toos/permissions/dialogs/access/entity/types/group_combination.php in concrete5-legacy 5.6.4.0 and below allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the cID parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/08/2021
The CVE-2021-41463 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the concrete5-legacy content management system version 5.6.4.0 and earlier releases. This vulnerability specifically affects the group_combination.php file located within the toos/permissions/dialogs/access/entity/types/ directory structure of the application. The flaw exists in the handling of user input through the cID parameter, which is processed without adequate sanitization or validation measures. This allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML code into the application's response, potentially compromising user sessions and data integrity.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding practices within the concrete5 legacy codebase. When the cID parameter is passed to the group_combination.php script, the application fails to properly sanitize or escape the input before incorporating it into dynamic web content. This creates an environment where attackers can craft malicious payloads that execute within the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability operates under CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting as a code injection flaw that occurs when untrusted data is embedded into web pages viewed by other users. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it allows remote code execution capabilities through the injection of malicious JavaScript code that can persistently affect users who access the affected application.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable sophisticated attacks including session hijacking, credential theft, and redirection to malicious sites. Attackers can leverage this flaw to establish persistent access to user accounts, particularly if the affected application handles administrative functions or user authentication. The vulnerability affects users who interact with the permission management dialogs within concrete5, making it particularly dangerous for organizations that rely on the platform for content management and user access control. According to ATT&CK framework category T1531, this vulnerability represents an attack path that can be exploited to gain access to user sessions and credentials, while T1190 categorizes it as a web application vulnerability that can be leveraged for initial access or privilege escalation within the application environment.
Organizations utilizing concrete5-legacy versions should implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability. The primary recommendation involves upgrading to a supported version of concrete5 that has addressed this XSS flaw, as version 5.6.4.0 and earlier releases contain multiple known vulnerabilities that have been resolved in subsequent releases. Additionally, administrators should implement input validation measures at the application level, ensuring that all user-supplied parameters undergo proper sanitization before being processed or displayed. Web application firewalls can provide an additional layer of protection by monitoring and filtering malicious payloads before they reach the vulnerable application components. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can further mitigate the impact of successful XSS attempts by restricting the sources from which scripts can be executed within the application context. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities within the application codebase, as legacy systems often contain multiple unpatched security flaws that can compound the overall risk profile.