CVE-2012-5540 in Hostip
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the Hostip module 6.x-2.x before 6.x-2.2 and 7.x-2.x before 7.x-2.2 for Drupal allow remote attackers with control of hostip.info to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/24/2019
The CVE-2012-5540 vulnerability represents a significant cross-site scripting weakness in the Hostip module for Drupal platforms, affecting versions 6.x-2.x prior to 6.x-2.2 and 7.x-2.x prior to 7.x-2.2. This vulnerability stems from the module's improper handling of user-supplied input from the hostip.info service, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts within the context of affected websites. The flaw specifically manifests when the module processes data retrieved from the external hostip.info service, which is designed to provide geographical location information based on IP addresses. When an attacker gains control of the hostip.info domain or can manipulate its responses, they can inject malicious content that persists across user sessions, making this a particularly dangerous vulnerability for web applications relying on geolocation data.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which describes cross-site scripting flaws where untrusted data is improperly integrated into web pages without adequate validation or sanitization. The attack vector exploits the trust relationship between the Drupal site and the external hostip.info service, where the module fails to properly escape or filter data received from the third-party source. This creates a persistent XSS condition where malicious scripts can be executed in the browsers of unsuspecting users who visit pages utilizing the vulnerable module. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple script execution as it can be leveraged for session hijacking, credential theft, and redirection to malicious sites, particularly since the module's functionality is often integrated into core website operations and user-facing pages.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-5540 is substantial for Drupal administrators and website owners, as it allows remote attackers to compromise user sessions and potentially gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. The vulnerability's exploitation requires an attacker to either control the hostip.info domain or find a way to manipulate the responses from this service, which can be achieved through DNS hijacking, cache poisoning, or other network-level attacks. Once exploited, the malicious scripts can access cookies, session tokens, and other sensitive data stored in the browser, effectively allowing attackers to impersonate legitimate users. This vulnerability particularly affects websites that rely heavily on geolocation services and user interaction, as the XSS payloads can be crafted to target specific user activities or to harvest authentication tokens from the affected web applications.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-5540 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Drupal installations to versions 6.x-2.2 or 7.x-2.2, which contain the necessary security fixes. System administrators should also implement network-level protections such as DNS filtering and content security policies to reduce the attack surface. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation and output escaping in third-party integrations, as highlighted by ATT&CK technique T1583.001 for developing capabilities through third-party services. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and regular security monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, the vulnerability underscores the necessity of maintaining up-to-date security practices and the critical importance of reviewing all third-party module dependencies for known vulnerabilities, as the flaw was specifically present in the Hostip module's handling of external data sources without proper sanitization measures.