IceCMS, a popular content management system, is prone to Cross Site Scripting attacks (XSS). This post will take a deep dive into CVE-2023-33356 by giving an overview of the vulnerability, discussing the problem's origin, and providing possible mitigations. We will also provide a code snippet to demonstrate the vulnerability and links to the original references.

But first, let's start by understanding what Cross Site Scripting (XSS) is and its implications on a website's security.

Overview

Cross Site Scripting (XSS) is a type of vulnerability often found in web applications. It occurs when an attacker injects malicious scripts into otherwise benign websites, usually via input fields or URL parameters. These scripts can potentially execute in the user's browser, leading to data theft, account takeover, or other malicious actions.

IceCMS v1.. is vulnerable to stored XSS, meaning that an attacker can inject malicious scripts into the application's database, which will then execute when a user interacts with the affected page.

Vulnerability Details

In IceCMS v1.., the vulnerability exists in the user profile section of the application, allowing an attacker to inject malicious code into the bio field. When updating the profile, the application fails to validate, sanitize or encode the user's input correctly, leading to the possibility of script injection.

Here's a simple example of how the malicious code can be injected into the user's bio field

"><script>alert('XSS')</script>

Insert the above script into the "Bio" field and save changes.

4. When another user views the affected profile, the script will execute, displaying an alert with the message "XSS".

Original References

This vulnerability was initially discovered and reported by [Security Researcher's Name] on [Date of Disclosure]. For more information, you can refer to the following links:

1. [Link to Original Advisory/Vulnerability Post]
2. [Link to the IceCMS GitHub Repository/Open Issue]

To protect your IceCMS application against this vulnerability, follow these steps

1. Update to the latest version of IceCMS, as the developers may have released a fix for this vulnerability.
2. Alternatively, you can implement output encoding. This ensures that when the user's input is displayed, special characters get rendered as harmless string literals instead of being executed as code.
3. Validate and sanitize user inputs, restricting the allowed character set to alphanumeric characters and limited special characters, if necessary.
4. Setting up proper Content Security Policy (CSP) headers will also help prevent the execution of malicious scripts.

Conclusion

The IceCMS v1.. vulnerability (CVE-2023-33356) serves as a reminder that even popular CMS platforms can have security flaws. Regularly updating the software, validating user inputs, and employing other security measures can minimize the risks of such vulnerabilities. Stay vigilant and always prioritize your application's security.

Timeline

Published on: 05/25/2023 14:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 05/29/2023 03:37:00 UTC