CVE-2010-1995 in TomatoCMS
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in index.php in TomatoCMS before 2.0.5 allow remote authenticated users, with "Add new article" privileges, to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) title, (2) subTitle, and (3) author parameters in conjunction with a /admin/news/article/add PATH_INFO.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/03/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-1995 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the TomatoCMS content management system prior to version 2.0.5. This vulnerability specifically targets the administrative interface of the platform, where authenticated users with minimal privileges can exploit the system's insufficient input validation mechanisms. The flaw exists in the index.php file and manifests when processing PATH_INFO parameters during article creation, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by users who have been granted basic editorial permissions but not full administrative access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of user-supplied input within the article creation workflow. Attackers with "Add new article" privileges can manipulate the title, subTitle, and author parameters through the /admin/news/article/add endpoint, injecting malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers. This occurs because the application fails to properly escape or filter special characters in these input fields, allowing attackers to inject HTML tags and JavaScript code that gets rendered without proper context validation. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires authentication, making it a privilege escalation vector rather than a direct public exploit.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, data theft, and redirection to malicious sites. Since the vulnerability requires only basic article creation privileges, it represents a significant risk in environments where multiple users have editorial access, as a compromised low-privilege account could be used to launch attacks against other users with higher privileges. The attack chain typically involves an authenticated user accessing the administrative article creation interface, injecting malicious code into one of the vulnerable parameters, and then waiting for other users to view the affected content, thereby executing the injected scripts in their browsers.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to TomatoCMS version 2.0.5 or later, which contains the necessary input validation fixes. Additionally, administrators should enforce strict input sanitization at multiple levels, including implementing proper HTML escaping for all user-supplied content and establishing comprehensive content security policies. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and could be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious web content. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and regular security assessments to prevent similar vulnerabilities in other applications within their infrastructure.