CVE-2011-4809 in Com Hmcommunity
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the HM Community (com_hmcommunity) component before 1.01 for Joomla! allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) language[], (2) university[], (3) persent[], (4) company_name[], (5) designation[], (6) music[], (7) books[], (8) movies[], (9) games[], (10) syp[], (11) ft[], and (12) fa[] parameters in a save task for a profile to index.php. NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/23/2024
The CVE-2011-4809 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in the HM Community component for Joomla! versions prior to 1.01, specifically targeting the com_hmcommunity component. This vulnerability exposes web applications to malicious injection attacks that can compromise user sessions and data integrity. The flaw resides in the component's handling of multiple parameter inputs within the profile saving functionality, making it particularly dangerous as it affects numerous user input fields that are commonly used in profile management systems. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic lack of proper input validation and output sanitization that has been documented in CWE-79 as Cross-Site Scripting, where the application fails to adequately filter user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of twelve distinct parameter fields within the save task functionality of the profile management system. These parameters include language[], university[], persent[], company_name[], designation[], music[], books[], movies[], games[], syp[], ft[], and fa[] which are all susceptible to injection attacks. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that, when processed by the vulnerable component, execute within the context of other users' browsers. This creates a persistent threat where compromised users may unknowingly execute malicious scripts that can steal session cookies, redirect to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of the victim. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires no special privileges to exploit, making it particularly dangerous for widely-used content management systems like Joomla!.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-4809 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can lead to complete session hijacking and unauthorized access to user accounts. When users with administrative privileges are targeted, the potential for privilege escalation and system compromise increases significantly. The vulnerability affects the core profile management functionality of the HM Community component, which likely serves as a social networking or community platform within Joomla! installations. This creates a vector for attackers to gain access to sensitive user information, manipulate community content, or establish persistent access points within the application. The attack surface is broad due to the multiple parameter fields affected, providing attackers with numerous opportunities to craft successful exploitation payloads.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve immediate patching of the HM Community component to version 1.01 or later, which contains the necessary input validation and sanitization fixes. Organizations should also implement proper input validation at multiple layers including application-level filtering, output encoding, and content security policies. The implementation of CSP headers can provide additional protection against XSS attacks by restricting script execution from unauthorized sources. Security monitoring should include detection of suspicious parameter values and unusual profile modification patterns. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, specifically focusing on script injection methods that leverage web application vulnerabilities. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar issues in other components and plugins within the Joomla! ecosystem, as this represents a common pattern of insecure parameter handling that has been documented in numerous security advisories and penetration testing reports.