CVE-2012-5226 in Peel SHOPPING
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Peel SHOPPING 2.8 and 2.9 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) motclef parameter to achat/recherche.php or (2) PATH_INFO to index.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/15/2025
The CVE-2012-5226 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Peel SHOPPING versions 2.8 and 2.9, demonstrating a fundamental weakness in web application input validation and output encoding mechanisms. This vulnerability resides in the e-commerce platform's handling of user-supplied input parameters, specifically targeting two distinct entry points that allow attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The flaw manifests through the motclef parameter within the achat/recherche.php script and through PATH_INFO handling in the index.php file, both of which fail to properly sanitize or encode user-provided data before incorporating it into dynamic web content. Such vulnerabilities fall under CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which is a core weakness category that directly enables XSS attacks by failing to properly escape or validate user input before rendering it in web responses.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts malicious input containing script code and submits it through either of the vulnerable parameters. When the web application processes these inputs without proper sanitization, the injected scripts become part of the web page content and execute in the context of the victim's browser. This creates a persistent threat where any user who accesses the affected pages could be subjected to various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The attack vectors leverage the web application's trust in user input, treating unvalidated data as legitimate content that can be safely rendered without proper security measures. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 - Establish Persistence, as it allows attackers to maintain access through persistent script injection that can be triggered whenever victims visit affected pages.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-5226 extends beyond simple script execution, creating significant risks for e-commerce platforms and their users. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to steal customer session cookies, potentially gaining unauthorized access to user accounts and personal information stored in the shopping platform. The vulnerability also enables more sophisticated attacks such as defacement of the web application, data exfiltration, and the execution of malicious commands that could compromise the entire web server or underlying infrastructure. Given that this affects e-commerce platforms, the potential for financial fraud and data breaches is substantial, as attackers could access customer payment information, personal details, and purchase histories. The persistent nature of XSS vulnerabilities means that once exploited, the malicious scripts remain active until the web application is patched or the affected pages are no longer accessed, creating long-term exposure risks for organizations.
Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability, beginning with immediate patching of affected Peel SHOPPING versions to the latest available releases that contain proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The remediation approach must include thorough input sanitization of all user-supplied parameters, particularly those used in URL query strings and PATH_INFO handling, with proper HTML escaping and context-appropriate encoding before any user data is rendered in web responses. Security measures should incorporate Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit script execution sources and prevent unauthorized code injection, while also implementing proper parameter validation and regular security testing of web applications. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive security audits of their web applications to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components, as this vulnerability demonstrates poor input handling practices that may exist elsewhere in the application codebase. The fix should align with security best practices outlined in OWASP Top Ten and ISO 27001 standards for web application security, ensuring that all user input is treated as potentially malicious and properly validated before processing or rendering.