CVE-2010-5302 in timthumb
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in timthumb.php in TimThumb before 1.15 as of 20100908 (r88), as used in multiple products, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the QUERY_STRING.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/28/2019
The CVE-2010-5302 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in the timthumb.php script, a widely deployed image resizing utility that was prevalent in numerous content management systems and web applications during the early 2010s. This vulnerability emerged from the insecure handling of user-supplied input within the script's query string parameters, creating an exploitable pathway for remote attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML content. The vulnerability affected TimThumb versions prior to 1.15, specifically as of the 20100908 release, making it a significant concern for web applications that relied on this image processing component for dynamic content generation and user-uploaded media handling.
The technical flaw resides in the improper sanitization and validation of input parameters within the QUERY_STRING of HTTP requests processed by timthumb.php. When the script received user-provided data through URL parameters, it failed to adequately filter or escape special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code. This oversight occurred primarily during the image processing pipeline where the script would accept parameters such as image URLs, dimensions, and other configuration options through the query string. The vulnerability stems from CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting weaknesses in web applications, where the application fails to properly validate or sanitize user input before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with a mechanism to execute arbitrary code within the context of victim browsers. Remote attackers could craft malicious URLs containing crafted payloads that would be processed by timthumb.php and subsequently rendered in web pages viewed by unsuspecting users. This could lead to session hijacking, credential theft, defacement of web pages, or redirection to malicious sites. The widespread adoption of TimThumb across various platforms meant that exploitation could affect numerous websites simultaneously, creating a scalable attack vector that could compromise user sessions and data integrity. The vulnerability particularly impacted web applications that allowed user uploads or dynamic content generation, as these scenarios often involved the use of timthumb.php to process and display images.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-5302 primarily involve immediate patching of affected systems to upgrade to TimThumb version 1.15 or later, which included proper input validation and sanitization measures. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation at multiple layers of their web applications, ensuring that all user-supplied data is properly escaped before being incorporated into dynamic content. Network security controls including web application firewalls and input filtering rules can provide additional protection against exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security audits and dependency management, as the widespread use of vulnerable third-party components demonstrates the critical need for maintaining up-to-date software libraries. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566.001 (Phishing with Malicious Attachments) and T1059.007 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript) as attackers could leverage the XSS capability to deliver malicious JavaScript payloads that could further exploit user sessions or redirect to additional attack vectors.