CVE-2012-1651 in Submenu Tree
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Submenu Tree module before 6.x-1.5 for Drupal allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/09/2018
The CVE-2012-1651 vulnerability represents a cross-site scripting flaw within the Submenu Tree module for Drupal version 6.x prior to 1.5. This vulnerability specifically affects authenticated users who can leverage the module's functionality to execute malicious scripts within the context of other users' browsers. The issue stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the module's handling of user-supplied data, creating an avenue for persistent script injection attacks.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which categorizes cross-site scripting as a critical web application security weakness. The flaw occurs when the module processes user input without proper sanitization, allowing malicious payloads to be stored and subsequently executed when other users view the affected content. The unspecified vectors suggest that the vulnerability could manifest through multiple input points within the submenu tree functionality, potentially including menu item labels, URLs, or configuration parameters that are rendered in web pages.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the browser of other users who access the affected Drupal site. This capability can be exploited to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of victims, redirect users to malicious sites, or even establish persistent backdoors within the application. The authenticated nature of the attack means that adversaries need only obtain legitimate user credentials, which significantly reduces the attack surface compared to fully unauthenticated vulnerabilities.
The attack vector leverages the principle of privilege escalation within the application's access control model, where legitimate authenticated users can manipulate the system to compromise other users. This vulnerability directly relates to ATT&CK technique T1566, which encompasses social engineering and credential access methods that enable attackers to exploit application-level vulnerabilities. The impact extends beyond simple script execution to potentially enable full session hijacking and unauthorized administrative actions if the compromised user holds elevated privileges.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-1651 include immediate patching of the Submenu Tree module to version 6.x-1.5 or later, which contains the necessary input validation and output encoding fixes. Organizations should also implement comprehensive input sanitization policies, enforce strict output encoding for all dynamic content, and conduct regular security assessments of third-party modules. Additionally, network monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious script injection patterns, and security headers such as Content Security Policy should be implemented to provide additional defense-in-depth measures against XSS attacks. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date Drupal core and contributed modules, as well as implementing proper security configuration management practices.