CVE-2012-6505 in PHP Volunteer Management
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in mods/hours/data/get_hours.php in PHP Volunteer Management 1.0.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the id parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/02/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-6505 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the PHP Volunteer Management system version 1.0.2. This security weakness resides in the mods/hours/data/get_hours.php script, which processes user input without adequate sanitization or validation. The vulnerability specifically affects the id parameter, which serves as an entry point for malicious actors to inject harmful web scripts or HTML code into the application's response. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category, which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a condition where an application includes untrusted data in a new web page without proper validation or escaping, allowing attackers to execute scripts in the victim's browser context.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious URL containing crafted script code within the id parameter of the get_hours.php endpoint. When the vulnerable application processes this request and returns the unsanitized input directly to the user's browser, the embedded script executes in the context of the victim's session. This creates a persistent threat where authenticated users may unknowingly execute malicious code, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental failure in input validation and output encoding practices that violates core web application security principles.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities within the context of the vulnerable application. An attacker could potentially steal session cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, deface the application interface, or even escalate privileges if the application has sufficient permissions. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires minimal user interaction, as the malicious script executes automatically when the page loads. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers social engineering through malicious content delivery, and T1059, which covers command and script injection techniques.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. The primary fix involves implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application, ensuring that all user-supplied data is sanitized before being processed or displayed. The application should employ parameterized queries or proper HTML escaping when rendering user input, preventing script injection attacks. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts can be loaded. Organizations should also consider implementing Web Application Firewalls to detect and block malicious requests targeting known XSS patterns. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components, ensuring comprehensive protection against cross-site scripting threats. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of following secure coding practices and maintaining up-to-date security measures in web applications to prevent exploitation by threat actors.