CVE-2012-2683 in Cumin
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Cumin before 0.1.5444, as used in Red Hat Enterprise Messaging, Realtime, and Grid (MRG) 2.0, allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors related to (1) "error message displays" or (2) "in source HTML on certain pages."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/14/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-2683 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting the Cumin framework version prior to 0.1.5444, which was utilized within Red Hat Enterprise Messaging, Realtime, and Grid version 2.0 platforms. This vulnerability exposes systems to remote code execution through web-based attacks that can manipulate user sessions and potentially compromise entire application environments. The flaw specifically manifests in two primary attack vectors related to error handling mechanisms and HTML source code processing within certain web pages, creating multiple pathways for malicious actors to inject harmful scripts into user browsers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding practices within the Cumin framework's error message handling system and HTML rendering components. When the system processes error conditions or displays content from source HTML pages, it fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before incorporating it into web responses. This deficiency creates an environment where attackers can craft malicious payloads that execute within the context of legitimate user sessions, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or unauthorized administrative access. The vulnerability operates under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in software applications, making it a classic example of improper neutralization of input during web application development.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability significantly weakens the security posture of Red Hat MRG 2.0 deployments by enabling remote attackers to execute arbitrary scripts in victim browsers without requiring authentication or privileged access. The attack surface extends across all components that utilize Cumin framework functionality, potentially affecting messaging services, real-time processing capabilities, and grid computing environments. Successful exploitation could lead to complete compromise of user sessions, data exfiltration, and unauthorized modification of application content. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple Red Hat products demonstrates the widespread impact potential and underscores the critical nature of timely patch deployment across enterprise environments.
Security mitigations for CVE-2012-2683 should prioritize immediate deployment of the vendor-provided patches that address the specific input validation and output encoding deficiencies within the Cumin framework. Organizations must implement comprehensive web application firewall rules to detect and block suspicious script injection attempts while also establishing robust input sanitization protocols across all application components. The remediation process should include thorough code reviews to identify similar vulnerabilities in other frameworks or applications, implementing strict output encoding for all dynamic content, and establishing proper error handling procedures that do not expose internal system information to end users. Additionally, security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts through network traffic analysis and implement automated scanning tools to identify unpatched systems within their infrastructure. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers social engineering through malicious content delivery, emphasizing the need for both technical controls and user awareness training to prevent successful exploitation.