CVE-2012-2129 in DokuWiki
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in doku.php in DokuWiki 2012-01-25 Angua allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the target parameter in an edit action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/16/2017
The cross-site scripting vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-2129 affects DokuWiki version 2012-01-25 Angua and represents a critical security flaw in the web application's input validation mechanisms. This vulnerability resides within the doku.php script and specifically targets the edit action functionality, creating an exploitable pathway for malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content into the application's interface. The flaw demonstrates a classic XSS vulnerability pattern where user-supplied input is not properly sanitized before being rendered back to other users, enabling attackers to execute malicious code within the context of affected user sessions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding practices within the DokuWiki application's edit functionality. When users navigate to the edit action with a target parameter, the application processes this parameter without adequate sanitization measures. This allows attackers to craft malicious payloads that exploit the application's failure to properly escape special characters and HTML tags in user-provided input. The vulnerability specifically affects the target parameter handling during the edit action, which means that any user with access to the edit functionality can potentially become a vector for XSS attacks when processing unvalidated input.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, creating significant risks for organizations relying on DokuWiki for content management. Attackers can leverage this flaw to execute malicious scripts in the browsers of other users who view affected pages, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious websites. The vulnerability affects the entire user base of the affected DokuWiki instance, making it particularly dangerous as it can compromise multiple users simultaneously. The attack surface is broad since the edit functionality is typically accessible to authenticated users, and the vulnerability can be exploited through various attack vectors including social engineering, phishing campaigns, or by manipulating existing user sessions.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and output encoding measures to prevent the execution of malicious scripts. The recommended approach involves implementing proper HTML escaping for all user-supplied input before rendering it within web pages, which aligns with CWE-79 principles for preventing cross-site scripting attacks. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing content security policies and input sanitization libraries to further protect against similar vulnerabilities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a web application vulnerability exploitation technique, specifically related to code injection attacks that can be leveraged for privilege escalation and persistent access within compromised environments. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar input validation flaws in other web applications, as this type of vulnerability frequently appears in content management systems and web applications that fail to properly sanitize user input before processing or displaying it to other users.