CVE-2012-2253 in Mahara
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in group/members.php in Mahara 1.5.x before 1.5.7 and 1.6.x before 1.6.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the query parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/20/2021
The CVE-2012-2253 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in the Mahara learning management system, specifically affecting versions 1.5.x prior to 1.5.7 and 1.6.x prior to 1.6.2. This vulnerability resides within the group/members.php script, which handles user membership management within educational groups. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly escape or filter user-supplied data before rendering it in web responses. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious payloads in the query parameter, which then get executed in the context of other users' browsers when they access the affected page.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which defines cross-site scripting as the improper handling of untrusted data within web applications. The vulnerability operates by allowing malicious input to bypass the application's security controls, specifically targeting the query parameter handling mechanism. When users navigate to the group members page with manipulated query parameters, the application fails to sanitize the input before including it in the HTML response, creating an environment where arbitrary JavaScript code can be executed. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of reflected XSS, where the malicious script is reflected off the web server and delivered to the victim's browser.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it can enable attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. An attacker could craft malicious links that, when clicked by group members, would execute scripts to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or modify group membership settings. The vulnerability particularly affects educational environments where Mahara is deployed, as it could compromise the integrity of user data, group communications, and potentially allow unauthorized access to sensitive academic information. The reflected nature of the attack means that victims must be tricked into clicking malicious links, making this a social engineering vector that can be particularly effective in educational settings where users may trust links shared within group contexts.
Organizations utilizing Mahara should implement immediate mitigations including updating to versions 1.5.7 or 1.6.2 where the vulnerability has been patched. The fix typically involves implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms that sanitize all user-supplied data before rendering it in web responses. Additional defensive measures include implementing content security policies, utilizing web application firewalls, and conducting regular security assessments of the application. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving client-side code injection and session hijacking, emphasizing the need for comprehensive application security controls that protect against both server-side and client-side attack vectors. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of secure coding practices and input validation as fundamental security controls that should be integrated throughout the software development lifecycle to prevent such issues from manifesting in production environments.