CVE-2012-2637 in WEB PATIO
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in KENT-WEB WEB PATIO 4.04 and earlier might allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted cookie.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/18/2018
The CVE-2012-2637 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in KENT-WEB WEB PATIO version 4.04 and earlier systems. This vulnerability resides within the web application's handling of user-supplied data through cookie parameters, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of affected user sessions. The flaw specifically manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize or validate cookie values before processing them in web responses, thereby enabling attackers to inject malicious content that gets executed by unsuspecting users' browsers.
This vulnerability operates under the well-established CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that allows attackers to inject client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The attack vector in this case leverages cookie manipulation, where an attacker crafts a malicious cookie value containing script code that gets stored and subsequently reflected back to users. The vulnerability's impact is particularly severe as it enables attackers to bypass standard security measures and execute code within the victim's browser context, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or further exploitation of the compromised user environment.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-2637 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can facilitate more sophisticated attacks within the context of the broader ATT&CK framework's initial access and execution phases. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access patterns, create backdoor sessions, or manipulate application behavior in ways that compromise user data integrity and system confidentiality. The vulnerability affects the application's session management and input validation mechanisms, potentially allowing attackers to impersonate legitimate users, access restricted resources, or perform unauthorized transactions within the application's scope. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation can occur from any location without requiring physical access to the target system.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's cookie handling processes. Organizations should deploy proper cookie sanitization routines that strip or encode potentially dangerous characters before processing cookie values, while also implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit script execution capabilities. The remediation process involves upgrading to patched versions of KENT-WEB WEB PATIO, implementing strict cookie validation procedures, and conducting regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components. Additionally, security teams should establish monitoring protocols to detect anomalous cookie patterns that might indicate attempted exploitation, while also ensuring that all user-supplied data undergoes rigorous sanitization before being processed or stored within the application's cookie management system.