CVE-2020-10681 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

CMS Made Simple 2.2.13 Filemanager is vulnerable to stored XSS via a .pxd file.

Understanding CVE-2020-10681

The vulnerability in CMS Made Simple 2.2.13 allows attackers to execute malicious scripts through a .pxd file.

What is CVE-2020-10681?

The Filemanager in CMS Made Simple 2.2.13 has a security flaw that enables stored cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks via a .pxd file, as demonstrated by m1_files[] to admin/moduleinterface.php.

The Impact of CVE-2020-10681

This vulnerability could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary scripts in the context of a user's browser, potentially leading to unauthorized actions or data theft.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-10681

The technical aspects of the vulnerability in CMS Made Simple 2.2.13.

Vulnerability Description

The Filemanager in CMS Made Simple 2.2.13 is susceptible to stored XSS through a .pxd file, providing an avenue for attackers to inject and execute malicious scripts.

Affected Systems and Versions

Affected Version: 2.2.13
Product: CMS Made Simple

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited by uploading a specially crafted .pxd file using the m1_files[] parameter to the admin/moduleinterface.php endpoint.

Mitigation and Prevention

Steps to mitigate and prevent exploitation of CVE-2020-10681.

Immediate Steps to Take

Disable file uploads with dangerous extensions like .pxd in CMS Made Simple.
Regularly monitor and review file uploads for suspicious content.
Implement input validation and output encoding to prevent XSS attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Keep CMS Made Simple and all plugins/modules up to date to patch known vulnerabilities.
Educate users on safe file handling practices to prevent uploading malicious files.

Patching and Updates

Ensure that CMS Made Simple is updated to the latest version to apply security patches that address the XSS vulnerability.