CVE-2010-1985 in Movable Type
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the administrative user interface in Six Apart Movable Type 5.0 and 5.01 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/31/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-1985 represents a critical security flaw in the administrative user interface of Six Apart Movable Type versions 5.0 and 5.01. This issue manifests as multiple cross-site scripting vulnerabilities that enable remote attackers to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of the victim's browser. The affected system operates under the CWE-79 category, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting vulnerabilities where untrusted data is improperly integrated into web pages without adequate sanitization or encoding mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the administrative interface components of the Movable Type platform. Attackers can exploit these weaknesses through unknown vectors that likely involve manipulation of form fields, URL parameters, or other user-controllable inputs that are subsequently processed and displayed within the administrative dashboard. The flaw exists because the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages, creating opportunities for malicious script execution when administrators view compromised content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides attackers with the capability to compromise administrative accounts and potentially gain full control over the Movable Type installation. Once exploited, these XSS vulnerabilities could allow attackers to steal session cookies, modify content, create new administrative users, or even execute arbitrary commands on the server. The attack surface extends beyond simple script injection to include potential privilege escalation and persistent malware deployment within the web application environment. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Scripting and T1566.001 for Phishing, as it enables the delivery of malicious payloads through web-based attack vectors.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-1985 should prioritize immediate patching of the affected Movable Type versions to the latest available releases that contain proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive input sanitization routines that encode special characters and validate all user inputs before processing. Additionally, the principle of least privilege should be enforced for administrative accounts, with multi-factor authentication implemented where possible. Network monitoring and web application firewalls can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts, while regular security audits should verify that all input handling mechanisms properly sanitize data. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper security practices in web application development, particularly regarding the handling of user-supplied data in administrative interfaces.