CVE-2011-5256 in LimeSurvey
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the tooltips in LimeSurvey before 1.91+ Build 11379-20111116, when viewing survey results, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unknown parameters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/11/2018
The CVE-2011-5256 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in LimeSurvey version 1.91 and earlier builds, specifically affecting the tooltip functionality within the survey results viewing interface. This vulnerability falls under the common weakness enumeration CWE-79 which categorizes improper neutralization of input during web output, making it a classic XSS attack vector. The flaw manifests when users navigate to survey results pages where tooltips are displayed, creating an opportunity for remote attackers to inject malicious scripts into the web application's output.
The technical execution of this vulnerability occurs through unknown parameters that are processed within the tooltip rendering mechanism. When LimeSurvey handles user input for tooltip content without proper sanitization or encoding, it allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code or HTML elements directly into the page. This injection happens during the display phase when tooltips are rendered, meaning the malicious content becomes part of the web page itself and executes in the context of the victim's browser session.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and redirection to malicious websites. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability to steal administrator credentials, modify survey data, or even gain full control over the LimeSurvey installation. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects the results viewing functionality, which is typically accessed by authenticated users with varying levels of permissions, potentially allowing privilege escalation attacks.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 which covers the exploitation of web applications through cross-site scripting. The attack surface is significant as it affects the core survey functionality that administrators and users rely upon for data collection and analysis. Organizations using LimeSurvey versions prior to 1.91+ Build 11379-20111116 should immediately implement mitigations including input validation, output encoding, and proper parameter handling. The recommended remediation involves updating to the patched version of LimeSurvey, implementing web application firewalls, and conducting thorough security testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the application stack.