CVE-2009-3619 in ViewVC
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in ViewVC 1.0 before 1.0.9 and 1.1 before 1.1.2 has unknown impact and remote attack vectors related to "printing illegal parameter names and values."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/27/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-3619 affects ViewVC versions prior to 1.0.9 and 1.1.2, representing a security flaw that enables unauthorized access through unspecified attack vectors. This issue specifically relates to the handling of parameter names and values during printing operations within the ViewVC application. The vulnerability falls under the category of improper input validation and potentially insecure parameter processing, which can be classified as a CWE-20 weakness in input validation. The unspecified nature of the impact suggests that the vulnerability may enable various attack scenarios depending on how the application processes user-supplied data during printing operations.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's failure to properly sanitize or validate parameter inputs when generating print output. This weakness allows attackers to manipulate parameter names and values in ways that could potentially lead to information disclosure, denial of service, or other unintended behaviors. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it relates to printing functionality, which often involves processing user input through various application layers. Attackers could exploit this weakness by crafting malicious parameter values that bypass normal validation checks, potentially leading to unexpected application behavior during print operations.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on ViewVC for version control browsing and document management. The remote attack vectors indicate that malicious actors could exploit this weakness without requiring local system access, making it particularly dangerous in web-based environments. The impact could range from unauthorized data exposure to complete system compromise depending on how the application handles the malformed parameters during printing operations. Organizations using affected versions of ViewVC may experience unauthorized access to version control repositories, potentially exposing sensitive source code, configuration files, or other proprietary information.
The security implications extend beyond simple information disclosure, as this vulnerability could enable attackers to manipulate application behavior through carefully crafted parameter inputs. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1211 which involves exploitation of weaknesses in input validation to manipulate application functionality. The vulnerability's classification as a remote attack vector means that organizations must consider their network exposure and implement appropriate network segmentation to limit potential attack surface. Additionally, the unspecified nature of the impact suggests that organizations should conduct thorough security assessments to understand the full scope of potential exploitation scenarios.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of affected ViewVC installations to versions 1.0.9 or 1.1.2 and later. Organizations should also implement input validation measures to sanitize parameter values before processing them in printing operations. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems can provide additional layers of defense against exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar issues in other applications within the organization's infrastructure. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper parameter handling and input validation in preventing exploitation of similar weaknesses in web applications.