CVE-2012-0976 in SilverStripe
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in admin/EditForm in SilverStripe 2.4.6 allows remote authenticated users with Content Authors privileges to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the Title parameter. NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/29/2021
The CVE-2012-0976 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the SilverStripe content management system version 2.4.6, specifically affecting the admin/EditForm component. This vulnerability operates as a server-side input validation failure that permits malicious actors with Content Authors privileges to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of other users' browsers. The flaw resides in how the system processes the Title parameter during form submissions, creating an injection vector that bypasses standard security controls designed to prevent malicious code execution.
This vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws in web applications, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 related to spearphishing attachments. The security impact is particularly concerning given that the vulnerability requires only authenticated access with Content Authors privileges, making it exploitable by users who already have some level of system access. The Title parameter serves as the attack vector because it represents a commonly used field in content management systems where users might enter descriptive text for pages or content items, and the application fails to properly sanitize or encode this input before rendering it back to users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can potentially enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal user credentials, redirect users to malicious websites, or even execute more sophisticated attacks such as defacement of content or data exfiltration. When Content Authors with legitimate access to the system are compromised, attackers can leverage this access to manipulate content, inject malicious payloads into the system, and potentially escalate their privileges within the application. The vulnerability affects the administrative interface of SilverStripe, making it particularly dangerous as it can be used to compromise not just individual user sessions but potentially entire content management workflows.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied data, particularly in administrative interfaces where privileged users operate. The recommended approach involves implementing proper HTML escaping and sanitization routines for all form inputs, with special attention to fields like Title that are commonly used for descriptive content. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit the execution of inline scripts and establish proper access controls to prevent unauthorized privilege escalation. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of input validation and output encoding practices in web application security, as outlined in OWASP Top 10 2017 category A03: Injection, and emphasizes the need for comprehensive security testing including both automated tools and manual code review processes.