CVE-2012-2117 in Gigya
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Gigya - Social optimization module 6.x before 6.x-3.2 for Drupal allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/20/2019
The CVE-2012-2117 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Gigya Social Optimization module for Drupal versions 6.x prior to 6.x-3.2. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security flaws identified by the Common Weakness Enumeration project. The Gigya module, designed to enhance social media integration and user engagement on Drupal websites, inadvertently created an attack vector that allowed malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content into the application's response streams. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that the vulnerability could be exploited through multiple entry points within the module's processing logic, making it particularly challenging to defend against through simple input validation measures.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient output encoding and input sanitization within the Gigya module's handling of user-supplied data. When the module processes social sharing parameters, user-generated content, or API responses from Gigya's services, it fails to properly escape or encode special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code by web browsers. This weakness allows attackers to craft malicious payloads that, when executed in a victim's browser context, can perform unauthorized actions such as stealing session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, or defacing the website. The vulnerability's impact is amplified because it affects the core social optimization functionality of the Drupal platform, meaning that any website utilizing this module becomes susceptible to these attacks without proper patching.
Operationally, the implications of CVE-2012-2117 extend beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it provides attackers with a persistent foothold within the target environment. When an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can execute malicious scripts that may harvest sensitive user information, manipulate social sharing functionality to spread malware, or even establish a backdoor for further attacks. The remote nature of this vulnerability means that attackers do not need physical access to the server or administrative privileges to exploit it, making it particularly dangerous for websites with large user bases. The attack surface is further expanded because the Gigya module is commonly used across various Drupal installations, creating a widespread potential impact that could affect hundreds or thousands of websites simultaneously.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to the patched version 6.x-3.2 or later of the Gigya module, implementing proper content security policies, and conducting thorough security assessments of their Drupal installations. The remediation process must also include reviewing and strengthening input validation mechanisms, implementing proper output encoding for all user-supplied content, and establishing monitoring procedures to detect potential exploitation attempts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript) and T1566 (Phishing), as attackers can leverage the XSS to execute JavaScript payloads and create phishing campaigns. The vulnerability also demonstrates the importance of secure coding practices and the need for comprehensive security testing of third-party modules before deployment, as the flaw existed in widely-used open-source components that organizations relied upon for functionality without adequate security vetting.