CVE-2009-2959 in Buildbot
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the waterfall web status view (status/web/waterfall.py) in Buildbot 0.7.6 through 0.7.11p1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/03/2025
The CVE-2009-2959 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in the Buildbot continuous integration system, specifically within the waterfall web status view component. This vulnerability affects versions ranging from 0.7.6 through 0.7.11p1, making it a significant security concern for organizations relying on this build automation framework. The vulnerability exists in the status/web/waterfall.py file, which serves as the web interface for displaying build status information in a waterfall format, commonly used in software development environments to monitor ongoing and completed builds.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the web status view functionality. Attackers can exploit this weakness by injecting malicious scripts or HTML code through unspecified vectors that are not clearly defined in the initial vulnerability report. This allows unauthorized users to execute arbitrary web scripts in the context of other users' browsers who access the affected Buildbot interface. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the web user interface components that render build status information, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple developers or stakeholders access the same build system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration from the build environment. Since Buildbot systems often contain sensitive information about software builds, source code repositories, and development processes, an attacker who successfully exploits this XSS vulnerability could gain access to confidential build artifacts, development credentials, or even manipulate the build process itself. The attack surface is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where Buildbot instances are used for production builds and where the waterfall view displays information about critical projects and security-sensitive code changes.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to patched versions of Buildbot to address this vulnerability, as no reliable workarounds exist for the specific XSS flaw in the waterfall view component. The mitigation strategy should include comprehensive input sanitization and output encoding practices that align with established security frameworks such as CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities. Security professionals should also implement additional monitoring of web application traffic for suspicious script injection patterns and consider implementing content security policies to reduce the impact of potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices in continuous integration environments where web interfaces are exposed to potentially untrusted users, as documented in ATT&CK framework's web application exploitation techniques.