CVE-2008-2848 in DekiWiki
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the search functionality in MindTouch DekiWiki before 8.05.1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/26/2018
The CVE-2008-2848 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the MindTouch DekiWiki platform, specifically affecting versions prior to 8.05.1. This vulnerability resides within the search functionality of the wiki system, making it particularly dangerous as search operations are among the most frequently accessed features in wiki environments. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML code into the application, potentially compromising user sessions and data integrity. The unspecified vectors indicate that the attack surface may encompass multiple input points within the search mechanism, making the vulnerability particularly challenging to fully assess and mitigate.
This XSS vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79, which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a weakness where applications fail to properly validate or escape user input before rendering it in web pages. The flaw enables attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or data manipulation. The impact is amplified in wiki environments where users frequently interact with search functions, making the attack vector highly accessible. The vulnerability affects the core web application functionality and represents a fundamental failure in input sanitization and output encoding practices.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable sophisticated attack chains within the wiki environment. An attacker could craft malicious search queries that, when executed by other users, would execute arbitrary JavaScript code in their browsers. This could lead to unauthorized access to wiki content, modification of pages, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability's presence in the search functionality means that even routine wiki usage could serve as an attack vector, as search terms are often displayed in the user interface. This makes the vulnerability particularly insidious as it can be exploited through normal application usage patterns without requiring specialized knowledge of the system's internal structure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-2848 should prioritize immediate patching of affected MindTouch DekiWiki installations to version 8.05.1 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent user-supplied data from being rendered as executable code. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional defense-in-depth measures to limit script execution capabilities. Security teams should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of other wiki applications and web platforms to identify similar XSS vulnerabilities, as the attack patterns and exploitation techniques are commonly shared across similar web applications. This vulnerability highlights the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing robust input validation as fundamental defensive measures against web application attacks.