CVE-2012-2082 in Chaos tool suite
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Chaos tool suite (aka CTools) module 7.x-1.x before 7.x-1.0 for Drupal allows remote authenticated users with the post comments permission to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a user signature.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/07/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-2082 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Chaos tool suite module for Drupal, specifically affecting version 7.x-1.x prior to 7.x-1.0. This issue resides within the web application's input validation mechanisms and demonstrates how seemingly innocuous user interface elements can become attack vectors for sophisticated exploitation. The vulnerability impacts the core security model of Drupal installations by allowing authenticated users to manipulate the platform's comment system in ways that can compromise other users' sessions and data integrity.
The technical flaw manifests through improper sanitization of user input within the CTools module's handling of user signatures. When authenticated users with comment posting privileges submit content containing malicious script tags within their signatures, the system fails to adequately filter or escape these inputs before rendering them in the user interface. This represents a classic XSS vulnerability where the malicious payload executes in the context of other users' browsers, leveraging the trust relationship between the web application and its legitimate users. The vulnerability specifically targets the user signature field, which is typically used to display additional information about comment authors, making it a prime target for attack due to its visibility and trust assumption.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers to perform session hijacking, defacement of user profiles, and potentially escalate privileges within the Drupal environment. An attacker could craft malicious signatures that redirect users to phishing sites, steal session cookies, or inject malicious content that persists across multiple user interactions. This vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires only the minimal permission level of "post comments," making it accessible to users who should normally be restricted from executing malicious code. The attack vector operates through the standard comment submission workflow, making it difficult to detect and prevent without proper input validation mechanisms.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and demonstrates the fundamental principle that all user-provided input must be properly sanitized regardless of the user's permission level. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566, which covers social engineering techniques through malicious content delivery, and T1059, which involves command and scripting interpreters for execution. Organizations utilizing Drupal with CTools modules should implement immediate mitigations including applying the available security patches, implementing additional input validation layers, and considering the principle of least privilege for user permissions. The recommended remediation strategy includes updating to the patched version of CTools 7.x-1.0 or later, implementing Content Security Policy headers, and conducting regular security audits of user input handling mechanisms to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other parts of the application stack.