CVE-2012-6330 in Foswiki
Summary
by MITRE
The localization functionality in TWiki before 5.1.3, and Foswiki 1.0.x through 1.0.10 and 1.1.x through 1.1.6, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via a large integer in a %MAKETEXT% macro.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/27/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2012-6330 represents a critical denial of service weakness affecting wiki platforms that implement localization features. This issue specifically targets TWiki versions prior to 5.1.3 and Foswiki versions in the 1.0.x and 1.1.x release series up to 1.0.10 and 1.1.6 respectively. The flaw resides within the implementation of the %MAKETEXT% macro which is designed to handle internationalization and localization of content within these wiki systems. The vulnerability exploits a fundamental design flaw in how these platforms process localization parameters, creating a scenario where malicious actors can consume excessive system resources through crafted input.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the manipulation of integer values within the %MAKETEXT% macro processing logic. When a large integer is passed as a parameter to this macro, the wiki engine's localization subsystem fails to properly validate or constrain the input, leading to unbounded memory allocation. This occurs because the localization engine attempts to allocate memory proportional to the size of the integer value provided, without proper bounds checking or resource limits. The flaw essentially creates a memory exhaustion condition where the system's available memory is consumed rapidly, causing the wiki service to become unresponsive or crash entirely. This behavior aligns with CWE-770, which describes allocation of resources without proper limits, and represents a classic example of resource exhaustion attack patterns.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the entire wiki infrastructure. In environments where wiki systems serve as critical collaboration platforms for organizations, this denial of service condition can severely impact productivity and business continuity. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability through various means including web interface manipulation, API calls, or even through crafted wiki markup that gets processed during rendering. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited by unauthenticated users, making it accessible to anyone with access to the wiki platform. This characteristic places it within the ATT&CK framework under the T1499.004 technique for Network Denial of Service, and more specifically aligns with T1566.001 for Phishing with Malicious File delivery.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected systems to the corrected versions of TWiki and Foswiki. Organizations should prioritize updating their wiki platforms to versions 5.1.3 or later for TWiki and 1.0.11 or 1.1.7 for Foswiki, as these releases contain the necessary fixes for the integer validation issue. Additionally, implementing input sanitization measures at the application level can provide defense in depth, including establishing maximum value limits for localization parameters and implementing rate limiting for macro processing. System administrators should also consider deploying monitoring solutions that can detect unusual memory consumption patterns and alert on potential exploitation attempts. The fix typically involves adding proper integer bounds checking within the localization engine and ensuring that memory allocation requests are validated against system resource constraints, thereby preventing the unbounded resource consumption that leads to the denial of service condition.