CVE-2024-26481 in Kirby
Summary
by MITRE • 02/22/2024
Kirby CMS v4.1.0 was discovered to contain a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability via the URL parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/18/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-26481 affects Kirby CMS version 4.1.0 and represents a reflected cross-site scripting flaw that resides within the application's URL parameter handling mechanism. This type of vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-79 which specifically addresses improper neutralization of input during web page generation, making it a critical concern for web application security. The flaw manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied input that is subsequently reflected back to the user in the HTTP response without adequate encoding or validation measures.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious URL containing crafted script code within one of the application's parameter fields. When a victim clicks on this malicious link or the application processes the parameter in a way that reflects the input back to the user interface, the embedded script code executes within the victim's browser context. This reflective nature means that the malicious payload is not stored on the server but rather injected through the request parameters, making it particularly dangerous for web applications that do not implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The vulnerability affects the application's ability to distinguish between legitimate user input and potentially malicious script code, creating an attack surface where unauthorized code execution can occur.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or session hijacking, as it can enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities including but not limited to credential theft, defacement of web content, redirection to malicious sites, and potential privilege escalation within the application environment. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that attackers can leverage social engineering techniques to deliver payloads through phishing emails, compromised websites, or malicious links shared through various communication channels. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous for content management systems like Kirby CMS that serve as central platforms for website content and user management, where the compromise of a single endpoint could potentially affect multiple users and administrative functions. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which describes social engineering methods used to gain initial access to systems.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding practices throughout the application's codebase. The primary remediation involves ensuring that all user-supplied input is properly sanitized before being processed or reflected back to users, utilizing proper HTML escaping mechanisms for dynamic content generation, and implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution. Organizations should also implement proper parameter validation routines that reject or sanitize any input containing potentially dangerous characters or script patterns. Additionally, regular security code reviews and automated vulnerability scanning should be integrated into the development lifecycle to identify similar issues before they can be exploited in production environments. The fix should include updating the CMS to a patched version where the vulnerability has been addressed through proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms, while also implementing comprehensive logging and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts.