CVE-2011-1976 in Visual Studio
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Report Viewer Control in Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 SP1 and Report Viewer 2005 SP1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a parameter in a data source, aka "Report Viewer Controls XSS Vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/08/2025
The CVE-2011-1976 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Microsoft's Report Viewer Control component that was prevalent in Visual Studio 2005 Service Pack 1 and Report Viewer 2005 Service Pack 1. This vulnerability specifically targets the data source parameter handling mechanism within the Report Viewer Controls, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of affected applications. The flaw exists in how the system processes and renders parameters passed through data sources, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where reporting applications are commonly deployed.
This vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws in software applications. The technical implementation flaw occurs when the Report Viewer Control fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied input parameters that originate from data sources. When these unvalidated parameters are subsequently rendered in the web interface, they become susceptible to injection attacks that can execute malicious scripts in the victim's browser context. The vulnerability is particularly insidious because it leverages legitimate data source functionality to deliver malicious payloads, making detection more challenging for security monitoring systems.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-1976 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive information, manipulate data displays, or redirect users to malicious websites. In enterprise environments, this vulnerability could allow unauthorized individuals to compromise reporting applications that handle sensitive business data, potentially leading to data breaches or unauthorized access to confidential information. The vulnerability affects organizations using Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 SP1 and Report Viewer 2005 SP1, which were widely deployed in corporate environments for business intelligence and reporting purposes. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability could potentially access user sessions, modify report displays, or execute malicious code that could persist across multiple user interactions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate application of Microsoft security patches and updates, implementation of proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms, and deployment of web application firewalls to filter malicious requests. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments of their reporting applications to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other components. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 which covers the use of scripting languages for execution, and T1566 which addresses social engineering through malicious links or scripts. Security teams should implement comprehensive monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous parameter handling patterns and establish secure coding practices for parameter validation in data source processing. Given the age of the affected software versions, organizations should consider migrating to supported platforms that include built-in protections against such vulnerabilities and maintain regular security update procedures to prevent similar issues in the future.