CVE-2012-2965 in Resin
Summary
by MITRE
Caucho Quercus, as distributed in Resin before 4.0.29, does not properly handle unspecified characters in the names of variables, which has unknown impact and remote attack vectors, related to an "HTTP Parameter Contamination" issue.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/10/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-2965 affects Caucho Quercus, a php interpreter implementation that was part of the Resin application server ecosystem. This flaw resides in how the system processes variable names within HTTP parameters, specifically when encountering unspecified or undefined characters in variable naming conventions. The issue manifests in versions of Resin prior to 4.0.29, where the Quercus component fails to properly sanitize or validate variable names that contain special characters or non-standard naming patterns. This type of vulnerability falls under the broader category of parameter handling weaknesses that can be exploited to manipulate application behavior through crafted input.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the Quercus interpreter's parameter processing logic. When HTTP parameters are parsed and converted into variables, the system does not adequately filter or normalize variable names that contain unspecified characters, leading to potential contamination of the parameter space. This contamination can occur when parameter names contain special characters that are not properly escaped or handled, allowing attackers to inject malicious variable names that may interfere with legitimate parameter processing. The vulnerability is classified as an HTTP Parameter Contamination issue, which represents a specific type of input manipulation attack vector that can affect how web applications process user-supplied data. This weakness can be categorized under CWE-774, which deals with insufficient logging of parameters, and potentially CWE-775, related to missing parameter validation in web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends to remote attack scenarios where adversaries can exploit the parameter contamination to manipulate application behavior across network boundaries. Attackers can craft malicious HTTP requests containing specially formatted parameter names with unspecified characters to potentially bypass security controls, manipulate application logic, or gain unauthorized access to system resources. The unspecified impact means that the exact consequences depend on how the vulnerable application processes these contaminated parameters, but the potential exists for privilege escalation, data manipulation, or information disclosure. This vulnerability can be particularly dangerous in web applications that rely heavily on parameter processing, as it allows attackers to potentially alter application flow, inject malicious code, or manipulate session data through carefully crafted parameter names. The remote nature of the attack vector means that exploitation can occur without requiring local system access, making it a significant threat to web application security.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-2965 should focus on updating to Resin version 4.0.29 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the parameter handling flaw. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation mechanisms that sanitize all parameter names before processing, particularly focusing on removing or encoding special characters that could lead to contamination. Security measures should include logging and monitoring of parameter processing activities to detect anomalous patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, implementing proper parameter validation at multiple levels of the application stack can help prevent the propagation of contaminated parameters. The remediation aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213, which focuses on data manipulation through parameter contamination, and emphasizes the importance of secure parameter handling as outlined in OWASP Top 10 categories related to injection flaws and input validation weaknesses. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to ensure that similar vulnerabilities are not present in other components of the web application ecosystem.