Elefant CMS extended Reflected cross site scriting

Vulnerability

Description

CVE-2017-20061 describes a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability found in the administrative interface of Elefant CMS version 1.3.12-RC. The flaw resides in the /admin/extended file, where the name parameter is not properly sanitized. By injecting a payload such as %3Cimg%20src=no%20onerror=alert(1)%3E (which decodes to ``), an attacker can cause arbitrary JavaScript to execute in the context of the victim's browser session [1].

Exploitation and

Attack Surface

The attack is remotely exploitable and does not require authentication, as the /admin path is accessible to any user in the default configuration, although an administrator must be logged in for the XSS to be triggered within the admin session. The attacker can craft a malicious link and trick an authenticated administrator into clicking it, leading to script execution [1].

Impact

Successful exploitation allows an attacker to execute arbitrary JavaScript within the administrative interface. This can lead to session hijacking, defacement of admin pages, or theft of sensitive information such as admin credentials or configuration data. The vulnerability is classified as "problematic" by the vendor [1].

Mitigation

The issue is resolved in Elefant CMS version 1.3.13. Users are strongly advised to upgrade to this version or later. No workarounds have been provided by the vendor. The exploit details have been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk for unpatched installations [1]. The project source code is available on GitHub [2].