CVE-2012-1084 in beuserswitch
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the BE User Switch (beuserswitch) extension 0.0.1 for TYPO3 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/14/2019
The CVE-2012-1084 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the BE User Switch extension version 0.0.1 for the TYPO3 content management system. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically targeting the backend user interface components that facilitate user switching functionality. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization mechanisms within the extension's codebase, creating an exploitable condition where malicious actors can inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content into the application's administrative interface.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through unspecified vectors within the BE User Switch extension, which likely involves improper handling of user-provided data in administrative contexts. Attackers can leverage this weakness to execute malicious scripts within the browser of authenticated administrators who access the compromised TYPO3 backend. The vulnerability's impact is particularly severe because it targets the backend user interface where privileged users operate, potentially allowing attackers to escalate privileges, steal session cookies, or perform unauthorized administrative actions. The extension's design appears to lack proper sanitization of input parameters that are subsequently rendered in the browser without adequate encoding or filtering mechanisms.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for TYPO3 installations that utilize the BE User Switch extension, as it provides attackers with a potential pathway to compromise the entire administrative environment. The attack surface is expanded when considering that administrators often have elevated privileges and access to sensitive data and system configurations. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication to the target system, making it particularly dangerous for organizations with public-facing TYPO3 installations. Security researchers have identified that this type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, as attackers can execute arbitrary code through browser-based injection vectors.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to patched versions of the BE User Switch extension, applying proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms, and implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious script injection attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure coding practices and input sanitization in web applications, particularly within administrative interfaces where the potential impact of XSS attacks is amplified. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of all TYPO3 extensions and ensure proper security testing is performed during the development lifecycle to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future.