CVE-2012-6082 in MoinMoin
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the rsslink function in theme/__init__.py in MoinMoin 1.9.5 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the page name in a rss link.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/21/2021
The CVE-2012-6082 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the MoinMoin wiki software version 1.9.5, specifically affecting the rsslink function located in theme/_init_.py. This vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and sanitization of user-supplied data, creating an exploitable condition that enables remote attackers to execute malicious web scripts or HTML code within the context of affected web applications. The flaw occurs when the rsslink function processes page names in rss links without proper escaping or filtering of potentially malicious input, allowing attackers to inject harmful content that gets rendered in users' browsers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the improper handling of user-provided page names within the rsslink function, which is part of the theme initialization module. When users navigate to rss feeds or generate rss links for wiki pages, the system fails to sanitize the page name parameter before incorporating it into the generated rss output. This creates a classic reflected cross-site scripting scenario where malicious input gets directly embedded into the web page response without appropriate encoding or validation. The vulnerability operates under CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 for exploitation of web application vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, defacement of wiki content, and redirection to malicious websites. Attackers can craft specially formatted page names that, when processed by the rsslink function, execute arbitrary javascript code in the browsers of unsuspecting users who access the affected rss feeds. This vulnerability particularly affects collaborative wiki environments where multiple users contribute content and generate rss feeds, making it a significant concern for organizations relying on MoinMoin for knowledge management and documentation sharing.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-6082 require immediate patching of the MoinMoin software to version 1.9.6 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for input validation and sanitization. Organizations should implement proper input filtering mechanisms that escape special characters in page names before they are processed by the rsslink function, ensuring that any potentially malicious content is neutralized. Network administrators should also consider implementing web application firewalls with XSS protection rules and conduct regular security assessments of wiki applications. The fix typically involves implementing proper HTML entity encoding for user-supplied input and validating page names against allowed character sets to prevent injection attacks. Additionally, security teams should monitor for any attempts to exploit this vulnerability through automated scanning tools and maintain updated threat intelligence feeds to detect potential exploitation attempts in their environments.