CVE-2010-1293 in ColdFusion
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Administrator page in Adobe ColdFusion 8.0, 8.0.1, and 9.0 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/13/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-1293 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Adobe ColdFusion's administrative interface. This issue affects versions 8.0, 8.0.1, and 9.0 of the ColdFusion application server platform, which was widely deployed across enterprise environments for web application development and deployment. The vulnerability specifically resides in the Administrator page component of the software, making it a particularly dangerous exposure since administrative interfaces typically contain sensitive configuration options and management capabilities. The flaw allows remote attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML code into the administrative interface, potentially compromising the entire ColdFusion server environment.
Technical analysis reveals that this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the administrative page processing logic. The unspecified vectors suggest that the vulnerability may be triggered through multiple entry points including form fields, URL parameters, or other user-controllable inputs that are improperly sanitized before being rendered back to administrators. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws where untrusted data is improperly handled in web applications. Attackers could exploit this weakness by crafting malicious payloads that would execute within the context of an administrator's browser session, potentially leading to complete server compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with the capability to manipulate administrative functions and access sensitive system configurations. When an administrator interacts with the compromised administrative page, the injected scripts execute in their privileged browser context, enabling potential actions such as viewing or modifying system settings, accessing restricted files, or even creating new administrative accounts. This type of vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, as attackers can leverage the XSS to execute malicious commands through the web interface. The vulnerability also supports privilege escalation attacks through T1651 - Credentials in Files, as administrators may inadvertently expose session tokens or other sensitive authentication data.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches and updates, implementing proper input validation at multiple layers, and deploying web application firewalls to detect and block malicious payloads. Network segmentation and least privilege access controls can help limit the potential damage from successful exploitation. Regular security assessments of administrative interfaces should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities, and comprehensive monitoring should be implemented to detect unusual administrative activity that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of securing administrative interfaces as they represent high-value targets for attackers seeking to gain persistent access to enterprise systems.