CVE-2012-4968 in SilverStripe
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in SilverStripe 2.3.x before 2.3.13 and 2.4.x before 2.4.7 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via (1) a crafted string to the AbsoluteLinks, (2) BigSummary, (3) ContextSummary, (4) EscapeXML, (5) FirstParagraph, (6) FirstSentence, (7) Initial, (8) LimitCharacters, (9) LimitSentences, (10) LimitWordCount, (11) LimitWordCountXML, (12) Lower, (13) LowerCase, (14) NoHTML, (15) Summary, (16) Upper, (17) UpperCase, or (18) URL method in a template, different vectors than CVE-2012-0976.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/13/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-4968 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting SilverStripe content management systems across multiple version ranges. This issue impacts SilverStripe 2.3.x versions prior to 2.3.13 and 2.4.x versions before 2.4.7, exposing applications to remote code execution through malicious script injection. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the template processing system, specifically targeting eighteen distinct template methods that handle text manipulation and formatting operations.
The technical flaw manifests when user-supplied input passes through the affected template methods without proper sanitization or encoding. These methods include AbsoluteLinks, BigSummary, ContextSummary, EscapeXML, FirstParagraph, FirstSentence, Initial, LimitCharacters, LimitSentences, LimitWordCount, LimitWordCountXML, Lower, LowerCase, NoHTML, Summary, Upper, UpperCase, and URL processing functions. The vulnerability allows attackers to inject malicious HTML or JavaScript code that gets executed in the context of other users' browsers when they view affected pages. This represents a classic XSS attack vector where untrusted data flows from user input directly into rendered web content without appropriate security controls.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant security risks for organizations using affected SilverStripe versions. Attackers can leverage these XSS flaws to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of users, redirect victims to malicious sites, or deface web applications. The attack surface is particularly concerning as these template methods are commonly used throughout SilverStripe applications for content presentation, navigation, and user interface elements. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-79 (Cross-site Scripting) aligns with the broader ATT&CK framework's T1566.001 (Phishing via Social Media) and T1566.002 (Phishing via Email) techniques, as attackers can craft malicious payloads to harvest credentials or conduct social engineering campaigns.
The exploitation of these vulnerabilities requires minimal technical skill and can be automated through various attack tools, making them particularly dangerous in production environments. Organizations running affected versions face increased risk of data breaches, service disruption, and compliance violations. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple minor versions indicates a systemic issue in the template processing architecture that required comprehensive patching across affected releases. Security teams should prioritize immediate remediation through version upgrades to 2.3.13 or 2.4.7 respectively, while also implementing additional security measures such as content security policies and input validation controls to mitigate potential exploitation attempts.