CVE-2010-1649 in Joomla
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the back end in Joomla! 1.5 through 1.5.17 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unknown vectors related to "various administrator screens," possibly the search parameter in administrator/index.php.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/21/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-1649 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in Joomla! content management systems version 1.5 through 1.5.17. This issue resides within the administrator backend components of the platform, making it particularly dangerous as it targets the administrative interface that controls the entire website's functionality. The vulnerability specifically affects various administrator screens and is particularly concerning because it allows remote attackers to inject malicious scripts into the administrative environment through unspecified vectors related to search parameters in the administrator/index.php file. This flaw falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that enables attackers to execute scripts in the context of other users.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of search parameters within the administrator interface, specifically targeting the administrator/index.php endpoint. Attackers can craft malicious input that gets processed and rendered within the administrator screens without proper sanitization or output encoding. This creates a persistent threat vector where malicious scripts can be executed in the context of authenticated administrator sessions, potentially allowing full control over the compromised website. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple script injection as it can be leveraged to perform actions such as creating new administrator accounts, modifying website content, accessing sensitive data, or even executing arbitrary code on the server. The fact that this affects "various administrator screens" suggests the flaw is systemic rather than isolated to a single endpoint, making it particularly dangerous for comprehensive system compromise.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-1649 is severe and multifaceted, as it enables attackers to gain unauthorized administrative access to Joomla! installations. When an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can effectively take complete control of the compromised website, potentially leading to data breaches, defacement, or the use of the compromised site for further attacks. The administrative access gained through this vulnerability allows for the modification of website content, user management, and configuration settings, which can result in significant business disruption and reputational damage. The vulnerability's location within the backend administration interface means that successful exploitation could lead to persistent backdoors being established, making detection and remediation more challenging. Additionally, the ability to inject scripts into administrator screens provides attackers with a mechanism to harvest session cookies and other sensitive information from authenticated administrators, potentially enabling further lateral movement within network environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-1649 should focus on immediate patching of affected Joomla! installations to version 1.5.18 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout their web applications to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in the future. The principle of least privilege should be enforced by limiting administrator access to only necessary systems and implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious activities related to search parameter manipulation and unusual administrative access patterns. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls to filter malicious requests before they reach the vulnerable application components. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK framework category T1190 for Exploit Public-Facing Application demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing proper access controls to prevent exploitation of such backend vulnerabilities that could lead to complete system compromise.