CVE-2002-2218 in SIPS
Summary
by MITRE
CRLF injection vulnerability in the setUserValue function in sipssys/code/site.inc.php in Haakon Nilsen simple, integrated publishing system (SIPS) before 20020209 has unknown impact, possibly gaining privileges or modifying critical configuration, via a CRLF sequence in a key value.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/20/2019
The CVE-2002-2218 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting and command injection flaw within the simple integrated publishing system SIPS developed by Haakon Nilsen. This vulnerability specifically resides in the setUserValue function located within the sipssys/code/site.inc.php file, affecting all versions prior to the 20020209 release. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly filter or escape carriage return and line feed characters within user-supplied data. The vulnerability classifies under CWE-113, which addresses improper neutralization of CRLF characters in HTTP headers, making it a direct descendant of the well-known CRLF injection attack vector that has plagued web applications for decades. This weakness allows attackers to manipulate HTTP headers by injecting malicious CRLF sequences, potentially enabling session hijacking, cross-site scripting, or data manipulation attacks.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious input containing CRLF sequences within a key value parameter passed to the setUserValue function. The absence of proper sanitization means these sequences can be interpreted by the web server or application as protocol commands rather than user data, potentially allowing an attacker to inject additional HTTP headers or manipulate session cookies. The impact assessment remains ambiguous due to the limited information available, but the potential consequences are severe as the vulnerability could enable privilege escalation or configuration modification attacks. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1071.004 for Application Layer Protocol: DNS and T1566.001 for Prephrasing: Phishing, as attackers could potentially use this to manipulate application behavior or redirect user sessions. The vulnerability also aligns with T1068 for Exploitation for Privilege Escalation, particularly when the affected system lacks proper access controls or when the injection occurs within administrative functions.
The operational impact of CVE-2002-2218 extends beyond simple data corruption or session manipulation, as it could potentially allow attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive system configurations or elevate their privileges within the application. The affected SIPS system, being a publishing platform, may store user credentials, configuration settings, or content management parameters that could be compromised through this injection vector. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple versions indicates a fundamental design flaw in the input handling mechanisms of the application, suggesting that similar issues might exist in other parts of the codebase. Organizations running affected versions of SIPS face significant risk of data breaches, unauthorized access, and potential complete system compromise, especially if the application handles sensitive user information or administrative functions. The lack of specific impact details in the original CVE description suggests that the vulnerability may have been discovered through security research or penetration testing rather than through direct exploitation, highlighting the importance of proactive vulnerability management and input validation in web applications.