CVE-2010-3082 in Django
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Django 1.2.x before 1.2.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a csrfmiddlewaretoken (aka csrf_token) cookie.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/24/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-3082 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Django web framework version 1.2.x prior to 1.2.2. This issue specifically targets the handling of csrfmiddlewaretoken cookies, which are fundamental components of Django's security infrastructure designed to prevent cross-site request forgery attacks. The vulnerability arises from inadequate input sanitization and validation mechanisms that fail to properly escape or encode user-supplied data before it is processed and rendered within web responses. Attackers can exploit this weakness by manipulating the csrfmiddlewaretoken cookie value to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of authenticated users' browsers. The flaw demonstrates a classic XSS vulnerability pattern where untrusted data flows from a cookie into the application's response handling, bypassing standard security controls designed to protect against such attacks.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when a malicious actor crafts a specially formatted csrfmiddlewaretoken cookie value that contains embedded JavaScript or HTML code. When the vulnerable Django application processes this cookie during request handling, the malicious content gets incorporated into the application's response without proper sanitization. This creates a persistent XSS vector that can affect any user who accesses the application while the malicious cookie is present in their browser session. The vulnerability specifically impacts the cookie-based CSRF protection mechanism, which is a core security feature of Django applications. This exploitation pathway violates the principle of least privilege and demonstrates a failure in input validation and output encoding practices that are fundamental to secure web application development. The flaw essentially allows attackers to inject malicious content that executes with the privileges of authenticated users, potentially enabling session hijacking, data theft, or further attack escalation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, creating significant risks for applications relying on Django's built-in CSRF protection. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, modify user data, or perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it exploits a fundamental security mechanism rather than a peripheral feature, making it more likely to be present in production environments. Applications using Django 1.2.x versions before 1.2.2 would be vulnerable to this attack vector without any additional security measures in place, as the flaw exists within the core framework functionality. This vulnerability undermines the trust model of web applications by allowing attackers to execute malicious code in the context of legitimate user sessions, potentially leading to complete compromise of user accounts and application data integrity. The impact is amplified because CSRF protection is typically enabled by default in Django applications, making the vulnerability surface more frequently in real-world deployments.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately upgrade to Django version 1.2.2 or later, which includes proper input sanitization for csrfmiddlewaretoken values. The fix implemented in version 1.2.2 addresses the root cause by ensuring that cookie values are properly escaped and validated before being processed by the application's response handling components. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any applications still running affected Django versions and implement network-level protections such as web application firewalls to detect and block malicious cookie values. Additionally, organizations should review their cookie handling practices and ensure that all user-supplied data is properly sanitized before being incorporated into web responses. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which describes cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a specific instance of the broader ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, where attackers leverage XSS to execute malicious scripts in user browsers. The remediation process should include thorough testing of the upgrade to ensure that legitimate CSRF protection mechanisms continue to function properly while the vulnerability is eliminated.