CVE-2012-1247 in WEB MART
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in KENT-WEB WEB MART 1.7 and earlier, when Internet Explorer is used, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML by leveraging support for Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) expressions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/01/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-1247 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in KENT-WEB WEB MART version 1.7 and earlier implementations. This security weakness specifically manifests when the target system utilizes Internet Explorer browsers, creating a unique attack vector that leverages the browser's support for CSS expressions. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the web application's processing of user-supplied data, particularly in contexts where CSS styling elements are dynamically rendered.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of CSS expressions within the web application's rendering pipeline. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that contain CSS expressions which, when processed by Internet Explorer, execute arbitrary JavaScript code or HTML content within the victim's browser context. This occurs because the application fails to properly sanitize or escape user input that gets incorporated into CSS style attributes or declarations. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in Internet Explorer due to its historical support for CSS expressions, which were deprecated in later versions but remained functional in older implementations, making the attack surface more extensive for legacy systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or session hijacking, as it provides attackers with the capability to completely compromise user sessions and execute malicious code within the browser environment. Successful exploitation enables attackers to perform actions such as stealing cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, defacing web pages, or even installing malware on victim machines. The vulnerability affects the core web application functionality and can lead to widespread compromise of user data and system integrity, particularly in environments where users interact with the web application regularly and maintain persistent sessions.
Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent malicious CSS expressions from being executed within the application context. The recommended mitigations include implementing strict content security policies, utilizing proper HTML escaping for all dynamic content, and upgrading to newer versions of the web application that address this vulnerability. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls and security monitoring systems to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for scripting languages and T1566 for phishing with malicious attachments, as attackers may leverage this vulnerability to deliver malicious payloads through compromised web interfaces.