CVE-2009-3192 in LinkorCMS
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in index.php in LinkorCMS 1.2 and earlier allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via (1) the searchstr parameter in a search action; or the (2) nikname, (3) realname, (4) homepage, or (5) city parameter in a registration action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/20/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-3192 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting LinkorCMS version 1.2 and earlier systems. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization mechanisms within the application's web interface, specifically targeting the index.php file that handles both search and user registration functionalities. The vulnerability exposes the system to remote code execution through malicious script injection, potentially allowing attackers to compromise user sessions and access sensitive data.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through multiple attack vectors that target different input parameters within the CMS framework. The primary attack surface includes the searchstr parameter during search operations, which fails to properly sanitize user input before rendering results back to the browser. Additionally, the registration process presents four separate entry points for injection attacks through the nikname, realname, homepage, and city parameters, all of which lack adequate validation mechanisms to prevent malicious payload insertion. These vulnerabilities fall under the CWE-79 classification for Cross-Site Scripting, specifically categorized as Reflected XSS due to the immediate execution of malicious scripts through user-supplied parameters.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, creating significant security risks for organizations utilizing LinkorCMS. Attackers can leverage these flaws to execute malicious scripts in the context of victim browsers, potentially stealing session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, or defacing the CMS interface. The reflected nature of the XSS attacks means that victims must be tricked into clicking malicious links that contain the attack payload, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or social engineering attacks. This vulnerability directly maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1566 for Phishing and T1059 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, as it enables attackers to execute malicious code within user browsers.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including comprehensive input validation, output encoding, and the implementation of Content Security Policies to prevent unauthorized script execution. The recommended approach involves sanitizing all user-supplied input parameters through strict validation rules and encoding mechanisms before processing or displaying any content. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious payloads, while also conducting thorough security audits to identify any additional vulnerable components within their CMS infrastructure. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in web applications and highlights the necessity of following secure coding practices to prevent such widespread XSS vulnerabilities that can affect multiple functional areas of a content management system.