CVE-2012-1004 in Foswiki
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in UI/Register.pm in Foswiki before 1.1.5 allow remote authenticated users with CHANGE privileges to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) text, (2) FirstName, (3) LastName, (4) OrganisationName, (5) OrganisationUrl, (6) Profession, (7) Country, (8) State, (9) Address, (10) Location, (11) Telephone, (12) VoIP, (13) InstantMessagingIM, (14) Email, (15) HomePage, or (16) Comment 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 vulnerability described in CVE-2012-1004 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Foswiki wiki platform's user registration module. This issue affects versions prior to 1.1.5 and specifically targets the UI/Register.pm component which handles user registration and profile management functions. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly escape or filter user-supplied data before rendering it within web pages. Attackers with CHANGE privileges can exploit this weakness to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or privilege escalation within the wiki environment.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a weakness where untrusted data is embedded into web pages without proper validation or escaping. This particular flaw affects sixteen distinct parameters within the registration form, including text fields, personal information fields, and contact details such as FirstName, LastName, OrganisationName, OrganisationUrl, Profession, Country, State, Address, Location, Telephone, VoIP, InstantMessagingIM, Email, HomePage, and Comment. The vulnerability occurs because the application fails to implement proper HTML entity encoding or JavaScript escaping when processing user inputs, allowing malicious payloads to persist in the database and subsequently execute when other users view the affected registration records.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it creates a persistent threat vector that can be exploited by authenticated users who possess CHANGE privileges. This privilege level typically allows users to modify existing content, making them capable of injecting malicious code into registration forms that other users will encounter during the registration process. The attack scenario involves an attacker with appropriate permissions submitting malicious input containing script tags or other malicious code through any of the vulnerable parameters. When other users view the registration page or see the user profiles, their browsers execute the injected scripts, potentially leading to unauthorized access to their sessions, data exfiltration, or redirection to malicious websites. The vulnerability's persistence is particularly concerning as the malicious code remains embedded in the system until the affected fields are properly sanitized or the vulnerability is patched.
Organizations utilizing Foswiki systems should prioritize immediate remediation through the application of the official patch available for version 1.1.5 or later, which addresses the input validation deficiencies in the registration module. Additional mitigations include implementing comprehensive input sanitization measures that properly escape or filter all user-supplied data before storage and output, establishing strict content security policies to prevent script execution, and conducting regular security audits of web applications to identify similar vulnerabilities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1566, which covers "Phishing with Social Engineering" and T1059, "Command and Scripting Interpreter," as attackers can leverage these XSS flaws to execute malicious scripts and establish persistent access to user sessions. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring systems that can detect and block suspicious script injection attempts, while ensuring that user privilege assignments are properly managed to minimize the risk of unauthorized access to registration functions.