CVE-2011-3990 in Pukiwiki Plus!
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in plugin/comment.inc.php in PukiWiki Plus! 1.4.7plus-u2-i18n and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/29/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-3990 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the PukiWiki Plus! content management system version 1.4.7plus-u2-i18n and earlier releases. This vulnerability resides in the plugin/comment.inc.php file, which serves as a core component for handling user comments and interactions within the wiki platform. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute malicious web scripts or HTML code within the context of other users' browsers, potentially compromising the security of the entire wiki environment.
This XSS vulnerability operates through unspecified vectors within the comment handling mechanism, suggesting that the input validation and output encoding processes fail to properly sanitize user-provided data before it is rendered back to other users. The affected system lacks adequate protection against malicious input that could contain script tags or other potentially harmful HTML elements. When users view comments containing such malicious content, their browsers execute the embedded scripts, creating a persistent security risk that can affect all users interacting with the vulnerable wiki instance.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, redirection to malicious sites, and data exfiltration from users who interact with the compromised wiki. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability to establish persistent access to user sessions, potentially gaining administrative privileges or accessing sensitive information. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of user data within the wiki environment, undermining the trust users place in the system's security measures.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a web application vulnerability that can be exploited for initial access and privilege escalation within affected systems. Organizations running PukiWiki Plus that contains the necessary security patches, implementing web application firewalls, and conducting thorough security assessments of the wiki environment to identify any potential exploitation attempts.