CVE-2012-1039 in Dotclear
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Dotclear before 2.4.2 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) login_data parameter to admin/auth.php; (2) nb parameter to admin/blogs.php; (3) type, (4) sortby, (5) order, or (6) status parameters to admin/comments.php; or (7) page parameter to admin/plugin.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/02/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-1039 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Dotclear content management systems prior to version 2.4.2. This vulnerability manifests across multiple administrative endpoints within the CMS, creating a wide attack surface that could potentially allow remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of authenticated user sessions. The flaw resides in the insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input parameters, which are directly incorporated into dynamic web page content without proper validation or encoding mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability spans several administrative pages within the Dotclear interface, each presenting distinct attack vectors. The login_data parameter in admin/auth.php accepts unfiltered input that could be exploited during authentication processes, while the nb parameter in admin/blogs.php provides another avenue for script injection. The comments.php administrative page contains multiple vulnerable parameters including type, sortby, order, and status, which are used for sorting and filtering comment data. Additionally, the page parameter in admin/plugin.php presents yet another potential entry point for malicious input. These parameters are processed without adequate input validation, allowing attackers to inject HTML and JavaScript code that executes in the browsers of authenticated users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers to manipulate administrative functions and potentially escalate privileges within the CMS. When authenticated users navigate to affected pages, their browsers execute the injected scripts, which could redirect them to malicious sites, steal session cookies, or perform unauthorized administrative actions. This creates a persistent threat vector where attackers can maintain access to compromised administrative accounts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a classic example of insufficient input validation that violates fundamental security principles for web application development.
The exploitation of these vulnerabilities requires minimal technical skill and can be accomplished through standard web application penetration testing techniques. Attackers typically need only to craft malicious payloads containing script tags and submit them through the vulnerable parameters, making these attacks particularly dangerous in environments where administrators regularly access the CMS. The impact is amplified when considering that administrators often possess elevated privileges and access to sensitive system data, making successful exploitation potentially devastating for organizational security posture. Organizations should consider implementing the mitigations recommended by the ATT&CK framework for web application security, including input validation, output encoding, and regular security updates to address known vulnerabilities in content management systems.