CVE-2022-23907 in CMS Made Simple
Summary
by MITRE • 03/01/2022
CMS Made Simple v2.2.15 was discovered to contain a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability via the parameter m1_fmmessage.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/04/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-23907 affects CMS Made Simple version 2.2.15 and represents a reflected cross-site scripting flaw that poses significant security risks to web applications. This type of vulnerability occurs when an application incorporates untrusted data into web pages without proper validation or sanitization, allowing malicious actors to inject client-side scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers. The specific vector involves the m1_fmmessage parameter which is processed by the CMS software, creating an opportunity for attackers to manipulate input fields and inject malicious payloads that can be executed when other users view affected pages.
The technical implementation of this reflected XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the CMS Made Simple framework. When the m1_fmmessage parameter receives user-supplied input, the application fails to properly sanitize or escape special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code. This weakness allows attackers to craft malicious URLs containing script payloads that, when executed in a victim's browser, can perform actions such as stealing session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, or executing unauthorized commands on behalf of the victim. The reflected nature of this vulnerability means that the malicious script is reflected off the web server rather than being stored, making it particularly dangerous as it can be delivered through phishing emails or compromised links.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents substantial risks to organizations using CMS Made Simple 2.2.15 as it could enable attackers to gain unauthorized access to user sessions, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The impact extends beyond simple script execution as attackers could leverage this vulnerability to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive information, or manipulate content on the website. The vulnerability affects the entire user base of the CMS, including administrators, which could result in unauthorized modifications to website content, data breaches, or the establishment of persistent backdoors within the web application. The reflected nature of the vulnerability also means that attackers can quickly exploit it without requiring long-term persistence mechanisms, making detection and mitigation more challenging.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation by upgrading to a patched version of CMS Made Simple that addresses this vulnerability, as the affected version contains known security flaws that can be exploited by threat actors. The mitigation strategy should include implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent the injection of malicious scripts, along with deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious requests containing XSS payloads. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive security testing to identify other potential vulnerabilities in their CMS implementations and establish monitoring procedures to detect unusual traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and follows ATT&CK techniques related to initial access through web application attacks and privilege escalation through session hijacking. The security community should also consider implementing defense-in-depth strategies including content security policies, regular security audits, and user education to reduce the overall attack surface and prevent successful exploitation of similar vulnerabilities.