CVE-2010-1193 in Server
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in WebAccess in VMware Server 2.0 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via vectors related to JSON error messages.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/04/2026
The CVE-2010-1193 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within VMware Server 2.0's WebAccess component that enables remote attackers to execute malicious web scripts or HTML code through manipulated JSON error messages. This vulnerability resides in the web interface of VMware Server 2.0, which serves as the primary administrative portal for managing virtual machine environments. The flaw specifically targets the error handling mechanism of the JSON processing functionality, where user-supplied input is not properly sanitized before being rendered in web responses. The vulnerability classification aligns with CWE-79, which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a weakness where untrusted data is incorporated into web pages without proper validation or encoding, creating opportunities for attackers to inject malicious content.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when VMware Server 2.0 processes JSON error messages that contain unvalidated user input. Attackers can craft malicious JSON payloads that include script tags or other HTML elements within error responses generated by the WebAccess interface. When these error messages are displayed to authenticated users or administrators within the web browser, the embedded malicious code executes in the context of the victim's session. The vulnerability affects the server's ability to properly escape or sanitize data that flows from the JSON processing layer to the web output layer, creating a direct path for script injection attacks. This particular implementation flaw demonstrates a failure in input validation and output encoding practices that are fundamental to preventing XSS attacks, with the vulnerability being classified under the ATT&CK technique T1203 for Exploitation for Client Execution.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-1193 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal administrative credentials, or manipulate virtual machine configurations through the compromised WebAccess interface. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could potentially gain full administrative control over the VMware Server 2.0 environment, allowing them to create, modify, or delete virtual machines, access sensitive data, and establish persistent backdoors within the virtualized infrastructure. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates within the administrative interface, where attackers can leverage elevated privileges to cause significant damage to the organization's virtualization infrastructure. Organizations using VMware Server 2.0 without proper network segmentation or additional security controls face heightened risk of lateral movement and privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers do not require local access to the system, making it a particularly attractive target for external threat actors seeking to compromise virtualized environments. Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching of the affected VMware Server 2.0 installations, implementation of web application firewalls to filter malicious JSON payloads, and enhanced input validation controls within the WebAccess interface to prevent untrusted data from being rendered in web contexts without proper sanitization.