CVE-2012-4352 in webNetwork
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Stoneware webNetwork 6.1 before SP1 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the blogName parameter to (1) community/blog.jsp or (2) community/blogSearch.jsp, the (3) calendarType or (4) monthNumber parameter to community/calendar.jsp, or the (5) flag parameter to swDashboard/ajax/setAppFlag.jsp.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/25/2019
The CVE-2012-4352 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Stoneware webNetwork 6.1 before SP1, demonstrating a fundamental weakness in input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the web application framework. This vulnerability exists across multiple endpoints including community/blog.jsp, community/blogSearch.jsp, community/calendar.jsp, and swDashboard/ajax/setAppFlag.jsp, indicating a systemic issue in how user-supplied data is processed and rendered within the application's web interface. The vulnerability classification aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting vulnerabilities where untrusted data is improperly incorporated into web pages without proper sanitization or encoding.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the injection of malicious scripts via specific parameters that are not adequately validated or escaped before being rendered in the web browser context. Attackers can leverage the blogName parameter in blog.jsp and blogSearch.jsp to inject arbitrary JavaScript code that executes in the victim's browser session, while calendarType and monthNumber parameters in calendar.jsp provide additional attack vectors for calendar-related functionality. The flag parameter in swDashboard/ajax/setAppFlag.jsp represents a more sophisticated attack surface that could potentially manipulate application state or escalate privileges through script injection. These attack vectors operate through the principle of reflected XSS where malicious input is immediately reflected back to the user without proper sanitization, allowing attackers to execute scripts in the context of the victim's browser session.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive user credentials, manipulate application functionality, and potentially establish persistent access through more sophisticated attack chains. The vulnerability affects a core web application component that handles user-generated content and dashboard interactions, making it particularly dangerous for environments where multiple users interact with the system. Attackers could exploit these vulnerabilities to create malicious links that, when clicked by other users, would execute arbitrary code in their browsers, potentially leading to complete compromise of user sessions and unauthorized access to sensitive organizational data.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-4352 should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms across all affected endpoints. The most effective approach involves implementing strict parameter validation that rejects or sanitizes potentially malicious input before it is processed by the application. Organizations should deploy proper HTML encoding for all user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages, ensuring that special characters are properly escaped to prevent script execution. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts can be loaded. The vulnerability highlights the importance of following secure coding practices as outlined in OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity guidelines, particularly focusing on input validation and output encoding as fundamental defenses against XSS vulnerabilities. Regular security assessments and patch management processes should be implemented to prevent similar vulnerabilities from persisting in production environments, as this flaw represents a classic example of insufficient sanitization that could be prevented through proper security development lifecycle practices.