CVE-2012-3476 in Ushahidi
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in (1) application/views/admin/layout.php and (2) themes/default/views/header.php in the Ushahidi Platform before 2.5 allow remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via vectors related to a site name.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/07/2021
The CVE-2012-3476 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting the Ushahidi Platform version 2.4 and earlier. This vulnerability resides in two key files within the platform's codebase: application/views/admin/layout.php and themes/default/views/header.php. The flaw enables remote authenticated attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML content through vectors associated with the site name parameter, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on this platform for crisis mapping and information gathering operations.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the platform's administrative interface and default theme components. When administrators or authorized users interact with the site name configuration settings, the platform fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied input before rendering it in the HTML output. This improper handling creates an XSS attack surface where malicious actors can craft specially formatted site names containing embedded script tags or malicious JavaScript code that executes in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability specifically affects the administrative layout and header components, meaning that any authenticated user with sufficient privileges can potentially exploit this weakness to compromise other users within the same platform environment.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-3476 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration from authenticated users. Given that Ushahidi Platform is commonly used for crisis reporting and emergency response scenarios, this vulnerability poses particular risk to organizations handling sensitive information about disasters, conflicts, or humanitarian crises. Attackers could potentially inject malicious code that redirects users to phishing sites, steals session cookies, or modifies the platform's administrative interface to hide malicious activities. The authenticated nature of the attack means that the vulnerability requires legitimate user credentials but does not require elevated privileges beyond standard administrative access, making it particularly dangerous for organizations where administrative accounts are compromised.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to Ushahidi Platform version 2.5 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this vulnerability. Additionally, administrators should implement strict input validation measures and output encoding for all user-supplied content, particularly in configuration parameters like site names. The mitigation strategy should also include regular security audits of the platform's codebase to identify similar vulnerabilities, implementation of content security policies to prevent unauthorized script execution, and comprehensive user training to recognize potential XSS attack vectors. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and represents a typical example of how insecure input handling can create persistent security risks in content management systems and web platforms. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving code injection and credential access, potentially enabling adversaries to maintain persistent access to the platform and compromise the integrity of critical crisis information systems.