CVE-2008-3029 in WEC Discussion Forum
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the WEC Discussion Forum (wec_discussion) extension 1.6.2 and earlier for TYPO3 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/22/2017
The CVE-2008-3029 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the WEC Discussion Forum extension for TYPO3 content management system. This vulnerability affects versions 1.6.2 and earlier, making it a significant security concern for organizations relying on TYPO3 for their web presence. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the forum extension, creating an attack surface that malicious actors can exploit to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of other users' browsers.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting weaknesses in web applications. The flaw manifests when the extension fails to properly sanitize user input before rendering it in web pages, allowing attackers to inject malicious payloads through unspecified vectors within the discussion forum functionality. These vectors could include forum post content, user profiles, or any other input fields where user-generated content is processed and displayed without adequate security measures.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to organizations using TYPO3 with the affected WEC Discussion Forum extension. Attackers could leverage this flaw to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, deface forum content, or execute persistent XSS attacks that could compromise multiple users over time. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation does not require physical access to the system or any special privileges, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited from anywhere on the internet. The impact extends beyond simple data theft to potentially enabling full browser compromise and further lateral movement within affected networks.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2008-3029 primarily involves upgrading to a patched version of the WEC Discussion Forum extension, as the vulnerability was addressed in subsequent releases. Organizations should also implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout their web applications, following the principle of least privilege and ensuring that all user-generated content is properly sanitized before being rendered. Security monitoring should include detection of suspicious script injection patterns, and regular security assessments should verify that all TYPO3 extensions are current and properly configured. Additionally, implementing content security policies and using web application firewalls can provide additional layers of protection against similar vulnerabilities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1566 technique for "Phishing with Social Engineering" and T1059 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter" as attackers can use such vulnerabilities to establish persistent access through malicious scripts executed in victims' browsers.