CVE-2012-2235 in Support Incident Tracker
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Support Incident Tracker (SiT!) 3.65 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the id parameter to index.php, which is not properly handled in an error message.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/16/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-2235 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Support Incident Tracker (SiT!) application version 3.65 and earlier. This security weakness exists in the application's handling of user input through the id parameter in the index.php file, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied input before incorporating it into error messages, thereby allowing attackers to inject malicious content that gets executed in the victim's browser environment.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows a well-established XSS attack pattern where an attacker crafts a malicious URL containing crafted script code within the id parameter. When a victim accesses this specially crafted URL, the SiT! application processes the input without adequate sanitization and displays the malformed parameter value within an error message. This error message is then rendered in the victim's browser, causing the embedded malicious script to execute with the privileges of the logged-in user. The vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws in web applications, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter, as the malicious code can potentially execute commands or establish further attack vectors through the compromised session.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive user credentials, access confidential support tickets, and potentially escalate privileges within the application. An attacker could craft payloads that redirect users to malicious sites, harvest cookies, or even inject additional malicious code that persists across multiple user sessions. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of the entire support incident tracking system, potentially exposing sensitive customer data, internal incident details, and administrative functions. Given that SiT! is typically used for managing support incidents, the compromise of a single user session could provide access to numerous sensitive support records and potentially allow for privilege escalation within the application's user management system.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-2235 should focus on implementing proper input validation and output sanitization measures. Organizations should immediately upgrade to SiT! version 3.66 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this vulnerability. Additionally, developers should implement strict input validation on all parameters received from user requests, particularly those used in error message generation. The application should employ proper HTML escaping techniques when displaying user-supplied content, ensuring that any special characters are properly encoded to prevent script execution. Security measures should include implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit script execution, using parameterized queries for database interactions, and conducting regular security code reviews. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious parameter patterns that may indicate attempted exploitation of this vulnerability. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing to ensure that all error message handling routines properly sanitize user input before rendering, and that the application's response to malformed parameters does not inadvertently execute malicious code.