CVE-2012-1410 in Kadu
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the History Window implementation in Kadu 0.9.0 through 0.11.0 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted (1) SMS message, (2) presence message, or (3) status description.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/04/2025
The vulnerability CVE-2012-1410 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness within the History Window component of Kadu instant messaging software versions 0.9.0 through 0.11.0. This flaw enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts by injecting crafted content into various message types within the application's history display functionality. The vulnerability specifically affects how the application processes and renders user-generated content in SMS messages, presence notifications, and status descriptions, creating an attack surface where malicious actors can exploit the lack of proper input sanitization mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate validation and sanitization of user inputs within the History Window module. When the application displays messages containing specially crafted payloads, it fails to properly escape or filter HTML and script content before rendering it in the user interface. This allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code or HTML elements that execute in the context of other users' browsers when they view the affected messages. The vulnerability manifests across three distinct message types, indicating a systemic issue in how the application handles user input across different communication channels within its messaging framework.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to the security and privacy of users within the Kadu messaging ecosystem. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive information, redirect users to malicious websites, or execute arbitrary commands on victim machines. The impact extends beyond individual user compromise as the History Window typically displays messages from multiple contacts, potentially allowing a single malicious message to affect numerous users simultaneously. This vulnerability directly violates security principles outlined in the CWE-79 category for Cross-site Scripting, which specifically addresses the improper handling of untrusted data in web applications.
The attack vector for this vulnerability demonstrates the classic characteristics of a server-side injection flaw where malicious input is stored and subsequently executed without proper sanitization. According to ATT&CK framework categorization, this represents a technique that falls under the T1059.007 sub-technique for Scripting, specifically targeting web application interfaces. The vulnerability's persistence through message history storage means that even after the initial injection, the malicious code continues to execute whenever affected users view the compromised messages, creating a long-term threat vector. Organizations using affected versions of Kadu should immediately implement mitigations including input validation, output encoding, and regular security updates to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability.
This vulnerability highlights the critical importance of proper input validation in messaging applications and demonstrates how seemingly benign features like message history can become attack vectors when inadequate security measures are implemented. The widespread nature of the affected versions suggests that many users may be exposed to this risk, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security assessments of messaging platforms and the implementation of defense-in-depth strategies. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-79 underscores the fundamental security principle that all user-supplied data must be treated as potentially malicious and properly sanitized before being rendered in user interfaces.