CVE-2010-4240 in Wiki CMS Groupware
Summary
by MITRE
Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware 5.2 has XSS
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/29/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-4240 represents a cross-site scripting flaw discovered in Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware version 5.2, a widely used open-source content management system and wiki platform. This vulnerability resides within the application's handling of user input and its failure to properly sanitize or encode data before rendering it in web pages. The flaw specifically affects how the system processes certain parameters or content fields, allowing malicious actors to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability impacts the platform's security posture by creating potential entry points for attackers to exploit user sessions, steal sensitive information, or perform unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous in collaborative environments where multiple users interact with shared content and data.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding practices within the Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware application. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that exploit the system's failure to properly escape special characters in user-supplied data before it is rendered in HTML output. The vulnerability likely occurs in areas where user-generated content is displayed without proper sanitization, such as in comments, article titles, or other editable fields. When a victim visits a page containing the malicious script, the browser executes the injected code in the context of the victim's session, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. This weakness aligns with CWE-79, which categorizes cross-site scripting vulnerabilities as a result of insufficient input validation and output encoding.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-4240 extends beyond simple data theft, as it can enable attackers to manipulate the entire user experience within the Tiki Wiki environment. A successful exploitation could allow threat actors to modify content, create false entries, or establish persistent backdoors within the wiki system. In collaborative settings where multiple users contribute to shared knowledge bases, this vulnerability becomes particularly dangerous as it can compromise the integrity of organizational information. The vulnerability also poses risks to user privacy and authentication mechanisms, potentially allowing attackers to access restricted areas or perform administrative functions. Organizations relying on Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware for internal documentation, collaboration, or knowledge management may face significant security implications from this flaw, including potential data breaches and compliance violations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of the Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware application to the latest available version that addresses the XSS flaw. System administrators should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future. The implementation of content security policies and proper sanitization of user inputs can significantly reduce the risk of XSS attacks. Additionally, organizations should conduct regular security assessments of their web applications and establish secure coding practices that align with industry standards such as those defined in the OWASP Top Ten. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing proper security monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls and regular security training for developers to prevent similar vulnerabilities from arising in custom applications built on or alongside the Tiki Wiki platform.