CVE-2022-37720 in Orchard
Summary
by MITRE • 11/25/2022
Orchardproject Orchard CMS 1.10.3 is vulnerable to Cross Site Scripting (XSS). When a low privileged user such as an author or publisher, injects a crafted html and javascript payload in a blog post, leading to full admin account takeover or privilege escalation when the malicious blog post is loaded in the victim's browser.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/19/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-37720 affects Orchard CMS version 1.10.3 and represents a critical cross site scripting flaw that enables low privileged users to execute malicious code within the context of other users' browsers. This vulnerability specifically targets the content management system's handling of blog post submissions, where authors and publishers can inadvertently introduce malicious payloads that persist and execute when other users view the compromised content. The flaw resides in the insufficient sanitization of user input within the blogging functionality, creating an attack vector that can be exploited by threat actors with minimal privileges to gain elevated access within the system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate output encoding and input validation mechanisms within the Orchard CMS framework. When a malicious user submits a blog post containing crafted html and javascript payloads, the system fails to properly sanitize these inputs before rendering them in the user interface. This allows the malicious code to execute in the browser context of other users who view the affected blog post, creating a persistent XSS attack vector. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it leverages the trust relationship between users and the content management system, enabling attackers to exploit the system's own rendering mechanisms against its legitimate users. According to CWE classification, this represents a CWE-79: Cross-site Scripting vulnerability that occurs when untrusted data is sent to a web browser without proper validation or encoding.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the capability to escalate privileges and potentially achieve full administrative control over the CMS. When a malicious blog post is loaded in a victim's browser, the injected javascript can perform various malicious activities including stealing session cookies, redirecting users to phishing sites, modifying content, or even executing commands on the affected system. The privilege escalation aspect of this vulnerability is particularly concerning because it allows low privilege users to leverage their limited access to gain administrative capabilities, effectively bypassing the system's access control mechanisms. This scenario aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 which describes valid accounts being used to perform privilege escalation and lateral movement within compromised environments.
Organizations utilizing Orchard CMS 1.10.3 should implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability. The primary recommendation involves implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms that sanitize all user-generated content before rendering it in the browser. This includes implementing proper HTML escaping for all dynamic content and establishing strict content security policies that prevent script execution within the application context. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing role-based access controls that limit the types of content that low privilege users can submit and the potential impact of their submissions. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security updates and patch management processes, as this issue was likely resolved in subsequent versions of the CMS. Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their content management systems to identify similar vulnerabilities and establish monitoring procedures to detect potential exploitation attempts.