CVE-2012-2643 in YY-BOARD
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in KENT-WEB YY-BOARD before 6.4 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted form entry.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/18/2019
The CVE-2012-2643 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in KENT-WEB YY-BOARD versions prior to 6.4, fundamentally compromising web application security through improper input validation mechanisms. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically manifesting as a reflective XSS attack vector that enables remote adversaries to execute malicious code within the context of victim browsers. The flaw resides in the application's failure to adequately sanitize user inputs submitted through form entries, creating an exploitable pathway for attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content directly into the application's response handling mechanisms.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts malicious input containing script payloads that are subsequently processed and rendered by the web application without proper sanitization or encoding. When legitimate users view the affected form entries, their browsers execute the injected malicious code, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that it affects the core form processing functionality, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered through routine user interactions with the application's submission mechanisms. This type of vulnerability directly violates the principle of input validation and output encoding, which are fundamental security controls recommended by the OWASP Top Ten and the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1203 technique for credential access through web application attacks.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-2643 extends beyond simple data theft, as it provides attackers with persistent access to victim sessions and can serve as a launching point for more sophisticated attacks. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent backdoors, steal session cookies, or redirect users to phishing sites that appear legitimate. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require physical access to the system or network to exploit it, making it particularly dangerous in publicly accessible web applications. Organizations using affected versions of YY-BOARD face significant risk of data breaches, reputational damage, and potential compliance violations under regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI-DSS, which mandate proper input validation and output encoding to prevent such security incidents. The vulnerability also represents a failure in the application's defense-in-depth strategy, as it lacks proper content security policies and input sanitization controls that would normally prevent such attacks from succeeding.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-2643 primarily focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms, with the most effective solution being the immediate upgrade to YY-BOARD version 6.4 or later, which contains the necessary security patches. Organizations should implement strict input validation that rejects or sanitizes potentially malicious content, including the removal of script tags, encoding of special characters, and validation of input formats against expected patterns. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection by restricting script execution and preventing the execution of unauthorized code. Security measures should also include regular security assessments, input sanitization libraries, and proper error handling that does not reveal sensitive information to attackers. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring systems to detect and prevent exploitation attempts, while ensuring that all user inputs are properly escaped or encoded before being rendered in web pages to prevent XSS attacks from succeeding.