CVE-2010-1707 in Piwigo
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in register.php in Piwigo 2.0.9 and earlier allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) login and (2) mail_address parameters.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/30/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-1707 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in the Piwigo photo gallery software version 2.0.9 and earlier. This vulnerability exists within the register.php script and affects the authentication and user registration processes of the application. The flaw allows remote attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML code into the application's user interface, potentially compromising user sessions and enabling unauthorized access to sensitive information. The vulnerability specifically impacts two parameters: login and mail_address, which are commonly used during user registration and authentication processes. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that has been consistently identified as one of the most prevalent and dangerous vulnerabilities in web applications.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding within the Piwigo registration system. When users attempt to register with maliciously crafted input in the login or mail_address fields, the application fails to properly sanitize or escape these parameters before rendering them in the web page output. This lack of proper sanitization creates an environment where attacker-controlled scripts can be executed in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires no special privileges to exploit, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by anyone with access to the vulnerable system. The attack vector is typically executed through web-based interfaces where users interact with the registration functionality, and the malicious code can be triggered when other users view the affected pages or when administrators review user registration data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, potentially enabling attackers to perform session hijacking, steal user credentials, or redirect victims to malicious websites. An attacker could craft specially formatted login or email address inputs that, when processed by the vulnerable Piwigo application, would execute malicious scripts in the browsers of other users. This could result in unauthorized access to user accounts, data theft, or the compromise of the entire photo gallery system. The vulnerability affects the core user registration functionality, which is essential for any web application, making it a high-impact issue that could severely compromise user trust and system integrity. The exposure of user data through this vulnerability could lead to identity theft, unauthorized access to personal photographs, and potential escalation to more serious attacks within the network infrastructure. According to the ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to the T1059.007 technique for Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, and represents a classic example of how insufficient input validation can lead to persistent security weaknesses in web applications.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-1707 should focus on immediate patching of the vulnerable Piwigo software to version 2.1.0 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the XSS vulnerabilities. Organizations should implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms to ensure that all user-supplied data is properly sanitized before being processed or displayed. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts can be loaded. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other parts of the application. Additionally, user education about the risks of entering untrusted data into web forms can help reduce the likelihood of successful exploitation. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns of data submission that might indicate attempted exploitation of XSS vulnerabilities. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of input validation in web application security and the need for continuous security testing to identify and remediate such flaws before they can be exploited by malicious actors in the wild.