CVE-2012-1632 in Password Policy
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in password_policy.admin.inc in the Password Policy module before 6.x-1.4 and 7.x-1.0 beta3 for Drupal allows remote authenticated users with administer policies permissions to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the name parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/14/2021
The CVE-2012-1632 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Password Policy module for Drupal platforms, specifically affecting versions prior to 6.x-1.4 and 7.x-1.0 beta3. This vulnerability resides in the password_policy.admin.inc file and demonstrates a classic input validation failure that enables malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of affected user sessions. The flaw specifically targets the name parameter handling within the administrative policy management interface, creating a persistent security risk for Drupal installations that utilize this module.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of the name parameter in the Password Policy administrative interface. When authenticated users with sufficient privileges attempt to create or modify password policies, the module fails to properly sanitize user input, allowing malicious scripts to be stored and subsequently executed whenever the policy information is rendered to other users. This represents a reflected XSS vulnerability where the malicious payload is stored server-side and executed when legitimate users view the affected administrative pages. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses Cross-site Scripting flaws in web applications.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-1632 extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive administrative credentials, or redirect users to malicious websites. Given that the vulnerability requires only authenticated access with administer policies permissions, it represents a significant risk within Drupal environments where administrative privileges are granted to multiple users. Attackers can leverage this flaw to escalate their privileges, compromise the entire Drupal installation, or exfiltrate sensitive configuration data that may include database credentials or other administrative information. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as it enables execution of malicious scripts within the web application context.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement the recommended security patches available through the Drupal security advisory process. The fix involves proper input sanitization and output encoding of user-supplied data within the password_policy.admin.inc file, ensuring that all user-provided content is properly escaped before being rendered in the administrative interface. Additional mitigations include implementing strict input validation at multiple layers, configuring web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script patterns, and conducting thorough security audits of all installed Drupal modules to identify similar vulnerabilities. Security teams should also consider implementing monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous administrative activities and unauthorized modifications to security policies, as these activities may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of input validation and output encoding in preventing XSS attacks, particularly within administrative interfaces where elevated privileges can lead to complete system compromise.