CVE-2011-3760 in Nucleuscms
Summary
by MITRE
Nucleus 3.61 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via a direct request to a .php file, which reveals the installation path in an error message, as demonstrated by xmlrpc/api_nucleus.inc.php and certain other files.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/10/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-3760 affects Nucleus CMS version 3.61 and represents a sensitive data exposure issue that directly impacts the security posture of affected systems. This flaw enables remote attackers to obtain potentially sensitive information through direct access to specific php files within the application's directory structure. The vulnerability manifests when users or attackers make direct requests to certain .php files, particularly xmlrpc/api_nucleus.inc.php and other related components, which then return error messages containing the installation path of the Nucleus CMS instance.
This technical flaw falls under the category of information disclosure vulnerabilities and can be classified as CWE-200, which represents "Information Exposure" in the Common Weakness Enumeration taxonomy. The vulnerability exploits a fundamental security misconfiguration where the application provides verbose error messages containing system-specific information without proper sanitization or access controls. The installation path disclosure represents a significant information leak that can be leveraged by attackers to understand the server environment and potentially identify other attack vectors.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the revealed installation paths can serve as valuable intelligence for attackers planning more sophisticated attacks. Knowledge of the specific file structure and installation location enables threat actors to craft more targeted attacks, potentially leading to directory traversal exploits, path manipulation attempts, or other privilege escalation techniques. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality aspect of the CIA triad by exposing system configuration details that should remain hidden from unauthorized users.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1212, which involves "Exploitation for Credential Access" where attackers gather information about the target environment to facilitate more advanced attacks. The presence of installation paths in error messages creates a foothold for attackers to develop more precise exploitation strategies against the CMS. Organizations using Nucleus CMS 3.61 should implement immediate mitigations including disabling direct access to sensitive php files, implementing proper error handling that does not reveal system paths, and configuring web server restrictions to prevent unauthorized access to internal application files.
The recommended remediation strategy involves updating to a patched version of Nucleus CMS that addresses this information disclosure vulnerability. Additionally, administrators should configure their web servers to suppress detailed error messages and implement proper access controls that prevent direct access to internal php files. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual access patterns to php files that may indicate attempts to exploit this vulnerability. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of proper error handling practices and input validation to prevent information leakage in web applications.