CVE-2010-0374 in Com Marketplace
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Marketplace (com_marketplace) component 1.2 for Joomla! allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the catid parameter in a show_category action to index.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/28/2025
The CVE-2010-0374 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Joomla websites, creating a legitimate pathway for users to browse categories and products while simultaneously exposing a critical security gap that could be leveraged by attackers.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of the catid parameter in the URL structure of the marketplace component. When an attacker crafts a malicious payload and injects it into this parameter, the vulnerable code fails to validate or sanitize the input before displaying it to other users. The absence of proper output encoding or filtering means that any HTML or JavaScript code embedded within the catid parameter gets executed in the context of other users' browsers who visit the affected page. This type of flaw falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a critical security vulnerability in the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. The vulnerability operates at the application layer, specifically targeting the web interface rendering process where user input is directly incorporated into dynamic web content without adequate security controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it provides attackers with the capability to execute arbitrary code within the browser context of authenticated users. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform session hijacking, steal cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, or even inject phishing content that appears legitimate to users. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires no special privileges or authentication to exploit, making it accessible to any remote attacker with knowledge of the target website's structure. This vulnerability can be exploited to compromise user sessions, potentially leading to unauthorized access to user accounts, data exfiltration, and the ability to perform actions on behalf of legitimate users. The broader implications include potential damage to the website's reputation, loss of user trust, and possible compliance violations depending on the nature of data handled by the affected marketplace.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-0374 should focus on immediate patching of the vulnerable component, as the most effective solution involves updating to a patched version of the Marketplace component that properly validates and sanitizes user input. Organizations should implement proper input validation mechanisms that filter or escape special characters before processing user-supplied data, particularly when this data is intended for display in web pages. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against script execution, while proper output encoding techniques should be employed to ensure that any user-provided content is rendered safely within the browser context. Security monitoring should include detection of suspicious URL patterns and parameter manipulation attempts, while regular security audits should verify that all Joomla! components and extensions are running supported versions without known vulnerabilities. This vulnerability also highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and input validation standards as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and other industry security frameworks, emphasizing the need for defensive programming techniques that prevent injection flaws at the source.