CVE-2011-2157 in SmarterStats
Summary
by MITRE
The (1) Admin/frmEmailReportSettings.aspx and (2) Admin/frmGeneralSettings.aspx components in the SmarterTools SmarterStats 6.0 web server generate web pages containing e-mail addresses, which allows remote attackers to obtain potentially sensitive information by reading the default values of form fields.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/02/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-2157 affects the SmarterTools SmarterStats 6.0 web server application, specifically targeting administrative components that handle email reporting settings and general configuration parameters. This issue represents a classic information disclosure vulnerability where sensitive data is inadvertently exposed through web page content generation processes. The flaw manifests in two distinct administrative pages: Admin/frmEmailReportSettings.aspx and Admin/frmGeneralSettings.aspx, which are part of the application's management interface designed for system administrators to configure various operational parameters.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly sanitize or obfuscate email addresses within form field default values during page rendering. When these administrative pages are accessed, the web server generates HTML content that includes email addresses as default values in form fields, creating an information exposure scenario. This occurs because the application does not implement proper input validation or output encoding mechanisms to prevent sensitive email addresses from being rendered in the browser's HTML source code. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it exposes potentially sensitive email addresses that may include administrator contact information, system notification addresses, or other confidential communication endpoints.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables remote attackers to obtain sensitive information through passive reconnaissance techniques, allowing them to gather email addresses that could be used for social engineering attacks, spam campaigns, or targeted phishing attempts. The exposure of email addresses in default form field values provides attackers with a readily available source of contact information that could facilitate further exploitation activities. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which categorizes information exposure issues, and represents a significant security risk in environments where email addresses may contain privileged information or serve as entry points for additional attacks. The attack surface is particularly wide as the vulnerability affects default administrative pages that would be accessible to any authenticated user with appropriate permissions, though the remote aspect suggests the vulnerability may be exploitable without local access.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper output encoding and input validation mechanisms within the affected administrative components. Security measures should include sanitizing form field values to remove or obfuscate email addresses before rendering them in web pages, implementing proper access controls to restrict exposure of administrative interfaces, and ensuring that sensitive information is not stored in default form field values. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to monitor for unusual access patterns to administrative pages and establish regular security assessments to identify similar information disclosure vulnerabilities. This issue demonstrates the importance of proper data sanitization in web applications and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers social engineering tactics that could leverage the exposed email addresses for further exploitation. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of fundamental security principles regarding the exposure of sensitive information in web application interfaces and the necessity of comprehensive input validation and output encoding practices to prevent information disclosure scenarios.