CVE-2010-1273 in Emweb
Summary
by MITRE
Emweb Wt before 3.1.1 does not validate the UTF-8 encoding of (1) form values and (2) JSignal arguments, which has unspecified impact and remote attack vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/29/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-1273 affects Emweb Wt versions prior to 3.1.1 and represents a critical security flaw in the handling of UTF-8 encoded data within web applications. This issue manifests in two distinct but related areas where the framework fails to properly validate UTF-8 encoding for form values and JSignal arguments, creating potential attack vectors that could be exploited remotely. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms that allow malformed UTF-8 sequences to pass through the application's processing pipeline without proper sanitization. This weakness falls under the category of improper input validation as classified by CWE-20, which is a fundamental security principle that directly impacts the integrity of data processing within web applications. The lack of UTF-8 validation creates a pathway for attackers to inject malicious data that may be interpreted differently by various components of the web application stack, potentially leading to unexpected behavior and security consequences.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when attackers submit form data or JSignal arguments containing malformed UTF-8 sequences that can be manipulated to trigger unintended execution paths within the application. These malformed sequences may cause the application to interpret data incorrectly, potentially leading to buffer overflows, injection attacks, or other memory corruption issues. The unspecified impact mentioned in the CVE description suggests that the consequences could vary significantly depending on how the application processes these inputs, but the remote attack vector indicates that this vulnerability can be exploited without requiring physical access to the target system. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution, as it enables remote code execution or arbitrary command execution through the manipulation of form inputs and signal arguments. The failure to validate UTF-8 encoding creates a condition where the application's internal data processing becomes unpredictable, as the framework cannot reliably determine whether input data conforms to expected encoding standards.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-1273 extends beyond simple data corruption, potentially enabling attackers to perform privilege escalation, data exfiltration, or system compromise depending on the application's architecture and the specific implementation details. When form values and JSignal arguments are not properly validated for UTF-8 encoding, applications built on this framework become susceptible to attacks that exploit the difference between how the application processes UTF-8 data versus how it stores or transmits it. This mismatch in encoding validation can lead to situations where malicious input is accepted during form processing but causes issues during data storage or transmission, potentially resulting in information disclosure or denial of service conditions. The vulnerability affects the overall security posture of web applications by creating a potential entry point for attackers who can leverage the lack of encoding validation to manipulate application behavior. Organizations using Emweb Wt versions before 3.1.1 face significant risk exposure, as this vulnerability can be exploited to bypass security controls that depend on proper input validation and encoding handling.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-1273 should prioritize the immediate upgrade to Emweb Wt version 3.1.1 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for UTF-8 validation. Additionally, organizations should implement comprehensive input validation at multiple layers of their application architecture, including client-side validation to prevent malformed UTF-8 sequences from reaching the server. The implementation of proper encoding normalization and sanitization processes should be enforced throughout the application's data flow to ensure that all form values and signal arguments are properly validated before processing. Security teams should conduct thorough code reviews to identify any custom implementations that might be bypassing the framework's validation mechanisms, as well as implement monitoring solutions to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of adhering to security best practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and the ISO 27001 security framework, which emphasize the necessity of proper input validation and encoding handling. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability, as the remote nature of the attack vector makes proactive detection and prevention crucial for maintaining application security.