CVE-2011-3978 in LightNEasy
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in LightNEasy.php in LightNEasy 3.2.4 allow remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) commentemail, (2) commentmessage, or (3) commentname parameter in a sendcomment action for the news page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/11/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-3978 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the LightNEasy content management system version 3.2.4. This issue affects the LightNEasy.php script and specifically targets the comment submission functionality, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of affected user sessions. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects authenticated users, meaning that attackers who have gained legitimate access to the system can exploit this weakness to compromise other users or escalate their privileges. The flaw manifests through three distinct parameter injection points during the comment submission process, specifically targeting the commentemail, commentmessage, and commentname fields within the sendcomment action for news pages.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability operates as a classic stored cross-site scripting attack where user input is not properly sanitized or validated before being rendered back to other users. The affected parameters are processed through the sendcomment action without adequate input filtering, allowing attackers to inject malicious payloads that persist in the application's database. When other users view the affected news page, the malicious content executes in their browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-site Scripting flaws, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for Initial Access through spearphishing attachments and T1059.001 for Command and Scripting Interpreter. The authentication requirement for exploitation indicates that this vulnerability could be leveraged as part of a broader attack chain where an attacker first gains legitimate credentials through social engineering or other means before utilizing this XSS flaw to expand their access within the compromised environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform session manipulation, steal cookies, redirect users to malicious domains, or even inject additional malicious code that could compromise the entire application. The fact that this affects authenticated users means that attackers can potentially access restricted areas of the application or perform actions that would normally require higher privileges. Organizations using LightNEasy 3.2.4 are particularly vulnerable as this version has known security gaps that were addressed in subsequent releases. The attack vector is relatively straightforward, requiring only that an authenticated user view a page containing maliciously crafted comments, making it a persistent threat that could affect multiple users over time. Security practitioners should note that this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation and output encoding in web applications, as proper sanitization of user-supplied data can prevent such attacks from succeeding. The vulnerability also highlights the need for regular security updates and patch management processes, as the issue was likely resolved in later versions of the LightNEasy platform through improved input validation mechanisms and proper HTML encoding of user content.