CVE-2011-2927 in Spacewalk
Summary
by MITRE
A flaw was found in Spacewalk and Red Hat Network Satellite. This vulnerability, known as cross-site scripting (XSS), allows remote attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML into web pages viewed by other users. The flaw is triggered through vectors related to Search forms, enabling attackers to potentially steal sensitive information or perform actions on behalf of the victim.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/03/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-2927 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Spacewalk and Red Hat Network Satellite platforms. This security weakness resides within the web application's handling of user input through search forms, creating an avenue for remote attackers to execute malicious code within the context of other users' browsers. The flaw specifically manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize or encode user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web content, thereby allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts that persist and execute in the victim's browser environment.
From a technical perspective, this XSS vulnerability operates through the manipulation of search form parameters that are not adequately validated or escaped before being rendered in web responses. When users submit search queries containing malicious payloads, the vulnerable application processes these inputs without sufficient sanitization measures, leading to the injection of harmful script code into the HTML output. The attack vector exploits the fundamental principle that web applications must treat all user input as untrusted and must properly encode or escape data before rendering it in web pages to prevent script execution. This vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications where insufficient input validation or output encoding creates opportunities for attackers to inject malicious scripts.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-2927 extends beyond simple script injection, potentially enabling sophisticated attack scenarios that can compromise user sessions and access credentials. Attackers leveraging this vulnerability can craft malicious search queries that, when processed by the vulnerable application, execute scripts in the browser context of other users. This capability opens doors for session hijacking, where attackers can steal authentication tokens and impersonate legitimate users. The vulnerability also enables more advanced attacks such as credential theft through keylogging scripts, redirection to malicious sites, and privilege escalation within the affected systems. Given that Spacewalk and Red Hat Network Satellite are enterprise-level systems managing critical infrastructure, the potential for widespread impact increases significantly, as compromised access could extend to multiple system components and user accounts.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper input validation and output encoding measures across all user-facing web interfaces. Organizations should implement comprehensive sanitization of all user inputs, particularly those submitted through search forms, using established encoding techniques such as HTML entity encoding for output rendering. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers provides an additional layer of protection by restricting script execution and limiting the sources from which scripts can be loaded. Regular security auditing of web applications, including automated vulnerability scanning and manual penetration testing, should be conducted to identify similar flaws in other components. Furthermore, application developers must follow secure coding practices that include input validation, proper error handling, and comprehensive testing of user-supplied data to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future releases. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining robust security controls in enterprise management platforms where compromised access could lead to significant operational disruptions and security breaches. The remediation process should include immediate patch deployment for affected versions and comprehensive security training for development teams to prevent recurrence of such flaws in future implementations.