CVE-2011-3983 in Webforum
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in KENT-WEB WEB FORUM 5.1 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via vectors related to cookies.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/12/2019
The CVE-2011-3983 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in KENT-WEB WEB FORUM versions 5.1 and earlier, exposing systems to remote code execution through malicious web script injection. This vulnerability specifically targets the forum's cookie handling mechanisms, creating an attack surface where malicious actors can manipulate session identifiers and other cookie-based authentication elements to execute unauthorized scripts within user browsers. The flaw fundamentally undermines the security model of the web forum by allowing attackers to bypass standard input validation controls that should prevent malicious content from being stored or executed within the application's context.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of cookie data within the forum's backend processing. When users interact with the forum, cookie values are not properly validated or escaped before being rendered in web pages, creating an environment where attacker-controlled data can be injected into the HTML output. This occurs because the application fails to implement proper output encoding mechanisms that would neutralize potentially malicious content before it reaches the user's browser. The vulnerability manifests when cookie values contain script tags or other malicious payloads that get executed in the context of other users' sessions, particularly when these cookies are used for authentication or user preference management.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-3983 extends beyond simple script injection, as it enables sophisticated attack vectors including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies from authenticated users, potentially gaining administrative access to the forum and compromising user accounts. The vulnerability also facilitates the execution of malicious scripts that can redirect users to phishing sites, harvest sensitive information, or perform unauthorized actions within the forum's context. This type of attack aligns with attack techniques categorized under the ATT&CK framework as credential access and execution phases, where adversaries exploit application vulnerabilities to establish persistent access and escalate privileges.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as a classic example of CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which specifically addresses the failure to properly sanitize user input before incorporating it into web page content. The vulnerability's classification under this weakness category highlights the fundamental requirement for implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms in web applications. Organizations running affected versions of KENT-WEB WEB FORUM must prioritize immediate remediation through software updates or patches, while also implementing additional security controls such as content security policies and web application firewalls to mitigate potential exploitation. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices and the necessity of comprehensive security testing to identify and address input validation weaknesses that could compromise user sessions and data integrity.