CVE-2008-2302 in Django
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the login form in the administration application in Django 0.91 before 0.91.2, 0.95 before 0.95.3, and 0.96 before 0.96.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the URI of a certain previous request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/10/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-2302 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting the Django web framework's administrative application. This issue specifically targets the login form functionality within Django versions prior to the mentioned patches, creating a significant security risk for applications that rely on Django's built-in admin interface. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly handle malicious user-supplied data in URI parameters.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of URI parameters in previous requests that are subsequently processed by the administrative login form. When an attacker crafts a malicious URI containing script code or HTML content, the vulnerable Django application fails to properly escape or filter this input before rendering it in the login form context. This allows attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts that execute in the victim's browser when they access the administration interface. The flaw is classified as a classic reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability where the malicious payload is reflected back to the user through the application's response.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with the ability to perform session hijacking, steal authentication cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users within the administrative context. Given that the Django admin interface typically grants elevated privileges and access to sensitive application data, successful exploitation could lead to complete compromise of the affected web application. The vulnerability affects multiple Django release lines including 0.91, 0.95, and 0.96, indicating a widespread issue that would have impacted numerous applications during that time period.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and demonstrates the critical importance of input validation and output encoding in web security. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this as a technique for code injection and credential access, potentially enabling further exploitation through session manipulation or privilege escalation. Organizations using affected Django versions should immediately implement the available patches and consider additional mitigations such as implementing proper input sanitization, using Content Security Policy headers, and conducting thorough security reviews of all user-supplied data processing within web applications.
The vulnerability highlights fundamental security principles that remain relevant in modern web development practices, emphasizing the necessity of proper context-aware output encoding and comprehensive input validation. Applications should implement robust sanitization routines that properly escape or encode data based on the target context where it will be rendered, whether in HTML, JavaScript, or other execution contexts. Regular security updates and patch management processes become essential for maintaining application security, particularly for frameworks that handle authentication and administrative functions where the potential impact of exploitation is significant.