CVE-2012-6559 in FreeNAC
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in FreeNAC 3.02 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) comment, (2) mac, (3) graphtype, (4) name, or (5) type parameter to stats.php; or (6) comment parameter to deviceadd.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/13/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-6559 affects FreeNAC version 3.02, a network access control solution designed to manage and monitor network devices. This particular flaw represents a critical security weakness that exposes the system to cross-site scripting attacks, allowing malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts within the context of authenticated users' browsers. The vulnerability impacts multiple endpoints within the application's web interface, specifically targeting parameters within the stats.php and deviceadd.php scripts.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the FreeNAC application's web interface. Attackers can exploit this weakness by injecting malicious script code through several parameters including comment, mac, graphtype, name, and type in the stats.php script, or specifically through the comment parameter in deviceadd.php. These parameters are processed without adequate sanitization, allowing attackers to inject HTML and JavaScript code that executes in the victim's browser when the affected pages are rendered. The vulnerability manifests as a classic reflected cross-site scripting flaw where malicious payloads are reflected back to users through the application's response.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted. An attacker who successfully exploits these XSS flaws could potentially steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users, redirect victims to malicious websites, or even escalate privileges within the network access control system. Given that FreeNAC is designed to manage network access and device authentication, an attacker could potentially gain unauthorized access to network resources, manipulate device configurations, or disrupt network operations. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that attacks could be delivered through phishing emails, malicious links, or compromised websites that direct users to exploit the vulnerable parameters.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which describes cross-site scripting flaws, and maps to multiple ATT&CK techniques including T1566 for spearphishing with embedded malicious content and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter. The vulnerability represents a critical weakness in the application's input validation controls and demonstrates the importance of implementing proper output encoding and input sanitization mechanisms. Security practitioners should note that this vulnerability affects web applications that fail to properly validate and sanitize user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamic web content. The impact extends beyond simple data theft to potential system compromise and network infiltration, making this a high-priority remediation item for any organization utilizing FreeNAC 3.02.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including input validation, output encoding, and proper parameter sanitization across all affected scripts. The most effective long-term solution involves updating to a patched version of FreeNAC, as the vulnerability exists in the application's core input handling logic. Additionally, implementing content security policies and web application firewalls can provide additional layers of protection against exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and input validation reviews should be conducted to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other components of the network access control infrastructure.