CVE-2012-2938 in Travelon Express
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Travelon Express 6.2.2 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the holiday name field to (1) holiday_add.php or (2) holiday_view.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/12/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-2938 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Travelon Express version 6.2.2, a web-based travel management application. This vulnerability resides in the application's handling of user input within specific php script files, namely holiday_add.php and holiday_view.php, where the holiday name field serves as the attack vector for malicious input injection. The flaw allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of other users' browsers, potentially compromising the security of the entire application ecosystem.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the Travelon Express application. When users submit holiday names through the designated input fields, the application fails to properly sanitize or escape the data before rendering it back to users or storing it in the database. This primitive input handling creates an environment where malicious actors can embed script tags or other HTML elements that execute upon page load or view. The vulnerability specifically targets the holiday name field, which suggests that the application's data validation routines are insufficiently robust to prevent malicious payload injection.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-2938 extends beyond simple script execution, as it creates a potential gateway for more sophisticated attacks within the application's user base. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. Given that this affects a travel management application, the potential for data exfiltration or user impersonation is particularly concerning, as it could compromise sensitive travel information, booking details, and personal user data. The vulnerability affects both the addition and viewing of holiday records, indicating that the insecure data handling occurs at multiple points in the application's data flow, increasing the attack surface.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and represents a classic example of insecure data handling in web interfaces. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1566 for initial access through malicious web content and T1059 for command and control through script execution. The remediation strategy should focus on implementing proper input validation, output encoding, and context-aware escaping mechanisms within the affected php files. Additionally, developers should implement Content Security Policy headers, employ proper parameterized queries for database operations, and conduct comprehensive input sanitization routines to prevent similar vulnerabilities in other application components. Regular security code reviews and automated vulnerability scanning should be implemented to identify and address similar weaknesses in the application's codebase.