Source: cve@mitre.org
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in search.5.html in BloofoxCMS 0.3.5 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the search parameter to index.php. NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information.
BloofoxCMS 0.3.5 is vulnerable to a cross-site scripting (XSS) attack. Attackers can inject malicious JavaScript into the search functionality, potentially leading to account compromise, data theft, or website defacement. This vulnerability requires immediate attention due to its potential for widespread impact.
Step 1: Payload Delivery: The attacker crafts a malicious URL containing a JavaScript payload within the search parameter. For example: index.php?search=<script>alert('XSS')</script>.
Step 2: Request Submission: The attacker sends the crafted URL to a victim, potentially through phishing, social engineering, or other means.
Step 3: Server Processing: The BloofoxCMS server receives the request and processes it, including the search parameter.
Step 4: Vulnerable Code Execution: The server, due to the lack of proper sanitization, incorporates the attacker's JavaScript payload directly into the HTML response, likely within the search results page (search.5.html).
Step 5: Browser Rendering: The victim's web browser receives the malicious HTML response, including the injected JavaScript.
Step 6: Payload Execution: The victim's browser executes the injected JavaScript, allowing the attacker to perform actions such as stealing cookies, redirecting the user, or defacing the website.
The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the search.5.html template when handling the search parameter passed to index.php. The application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before displaying it on the search results page. This allows attackers to inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript code, which is then executed by the victim's browser. The root cause is a missing or inadequate implementation of input validation and output encoding (e.g., HTML entity encoding) for the search parameter. Specifically, the application likely directly embeds the user-provided search query into the HTML response without proper escaping, leading to the XSS vulnerability.
While no specific APTs are directly linked to this CVE, the ease of exploitation makes it attractive to a wide range of attackers, including script kiddies and opportunistic attackers. This vulnerability could be used as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks. Not listed on CISA KEV due to its age and the fact that it is a CMS that is likely not used by many organizations.
Web server logs: Examine web server access logs for suspicious requests containing JavaScript payloads in the search parameter (e.g., <script>, onerror, onload).
Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS): Implement rules to detect XSS attempts, specifically those targeting the search parameter. Look for patterns like <script>, javascript:, or HTML tags in the search query.
Web Application Firewalls (WAFs): Deploy a WAF to filter out malicious requests containing XSS payloads. Configure the WAF to specifically monitor and block XSS attempts targeting the search parameter.
Network Traffic Analysis: Analyze network traffic for unusual HTTP requests containing XSS payloads in the URL parameters.
Content Security Policy (CSP) Violations: Monitor for CSP violations, which can indicate XSS attempts. Implement a strict CSP to mitigate the impact of successful XSS attacks.
Upgrade to a patched version of BloofoxCMS (if available). Since the version is old, this may not be possible. Consider migrating to a more modern CMS.
Implement input validation: Sanitize all user-supplied input, especially the search parameter, to remove or encode potentially malicious characters (e.g., <, >, &, ', ").
Implement output encoding: Encode user-supplied data before displaying it in HTML. Use HTML entity encoding to prevent the browser from interpreting the data as HTML or JavaScript.
Implement a Content Security Policy (CSP): Configure a CSP to restrict the sources from which the browser can load resources (e.g., scripts, stylesheets, images). This can help mitigate the impact of XSS attacks.
Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF): Deploy a WAF to filter out malicious requests, including XSS attempts.
Regularly scan the website for vulnerabilities using a web vulnerability scanner.
Review and update security configurations regularly.