CVE-2011-3999 in Iwate Portal Bar
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the RSS/Atom feed-reader implementation in Iwate Portal Bar allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted feed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/15/2018
The CVE-2011-3999 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the RSS/Atom feed-reader component of Iwate Portal Bar, a web application designed to aggregate and display content from various feed sources. This vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it within the web interface. The affected system processes RSS and Atom feeds without adequate protection against malicious script injection, creating a persistent security risk for end users who rely on the portal for information aggregation.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when a remote attacker crafts a malicious RSS or Atom feed containing embedded script tags or HTML content that gets executed within the context of a victim's browser session. The flaw stems from improper handling of feed content where the application directly incorporates feed data into HTML output without implementing appropriate sanitization or encoding measures. This allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code, HTML tags, or other potentially harmful content that executes when users view the compromised feed within the portal interface. The vulnerability specifically affects the feed reader implementation and operates at the application layer, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive information, or redirect users to malicious websites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable sophisticated attack vectors including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration. When users access compromised feeds through the Iwate Portal Bar application, their browsers execute the injected malicious code within the trusted context of the portal, potentially allowing attackers to access session cookies, personal information, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. This vulnerability directly violates security principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten, specifically addressing the risk of cross-site scripting attacks that can lead to complete account compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive resources. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that RSS and Atom feeds are commonly used for distributing news, updates, and information, making the portal an attractive target for attackers seeking to distribute malicious content at scale.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-3999 should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the feed processing pipeline. Organizations should deploy proper HTML sanitization libraries to filter out dangerous script tags and attributes from feed content before rendering it within the web interface. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against script execution, while regular security updates and patches should be applied to address known vulnerabilities in the feed reader component. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege and secure coding practices. Defense-in-depth strategies should include monitoring feed content for suspicious patterns, implementing web application firewalls, and conducting regular security assessments of feed processing components to prevent exploitation. The remediation process must ensure that all user-supplied content undergoes proper sanitization before being displayed, effectively closing the XSS attack vector while maintaining the functionality of the RSS/Atom feed reader capabilities.