CVE-2010-2957 in Serendipity
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Serendipity before 1.5.4, when "Remember me" logins are enabled, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/07/2019
The cross-site scripting vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-2957 affects the Serendipity publishing platform version 1.5.3 and earlier, representing a critical security flaw that undermines user authentication mechanisms. This vulnerability specifically manifests when the "Remember me" login functionality is enabled, creating a persistent vector for malicious code injection that can compromise user sessions and potentially escalate privileges within the affected web application.
The technical flaw resides in the improper sanitization of user input within the authentication flow, particularly when processing session cookies or login tokens associated with the remember me feature. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious payloads that get executed in the context of other users' browsers, leveraging the trusted relationship between the web application and authenticated users. The vulnerability's classification as a reflected XSS issue indicates that malicious scripts are injected into the application's response, typically through URL parameters or form fields, which are then executed when other users view the affected content.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations relying on Serendipity for content management, as it enables attackers to steal session cookies, hijack user accounts, and potentially access sensitive administrative functions. The impact extends beyond simple data theft, as successful exploitation could allow attackers to modify content, create malicious posts, or even establish backdoors within the compromised system. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal technical skill and can be automated, making it particularly dangerous in environments with multiple users or high-traffic websites where the attack surface remains broad and accessible.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to Serendipity version 1.5.4 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the XSS vulnerability. Additional protective measures include disabling the remember me functionality until the upgrade is complete, implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms, and deploying web application firewalls to detect and block malicious script injection attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through spearphishing attachments or links, highlighting the importance of both defensive measures and user education. Security teams should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify any other potentially affected components within their web application infrastructure that might share similar input handling patterns.