CVE-2012-6620 in Kronolith H4
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the (1) tasks and (2) search views in Horde Kronolith H4 before 3.0.17 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/31/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-6620 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness affecting the Horde Kronolith H4 calendar application prior to version 3.0.17. This issue manifests in two distinct attack vectors within the application's user interface, specifically targeting the tasks and search functionality components. The vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-79, which classifies it as a classic cross-site scripting flaw where unvalidated user input is directly reflected back to users without proper sanitization or encoding mechanisms. The affected application components process user-provided data through unspecified input vectors, creating opportunities for malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content that executes within the context of other users' browsers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it enables attackers to establish persistent malicious presence within the application environment. When users interact with the vulnerable tasks or search views, any malicious script injected through these vectors can execute in the victim's browser session, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The unspecified nature of the input vectors suggests that the vulnerability could be exploited through multiple pathways including form submissions, URL parameters, or other user-controllable inputs within the calendar application's interface. This broad attack surface increases the likelihood of successful exploitation and makes defensive measures more challenging to implement effectively.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which focuses on establishing persistence through malicious scripts, and T1566 which covers social engineering attacks that leverage web-based vulnerabilities. The attack requires minimal privileges as it operates entirely through web-based interfaces without requiring direct system access or authentication to the underlying calendar application. The vulnerability's exploitation typically involves crafting malicious payloads that leverage the application's failure to properly validate or sanitize user input before rendering it back to users. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability represents a classic example of insufficient input validation, a weakness that has been consistently identified across numerous web applications and remains one of the most prevalent security flaws in software applications.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-6620 should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to version 3.0.17 or later, as this represents the most effective solution to address the underlying vulnerability. Organizations should also implement comprehensive input validation mechanisms that sanitize all user-provided data before processing or rendering it within the application interface. Additional protective measures include implementing content security policies to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts, deploying web application firewalls to detect and block malicious payloads, and conducting regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, while user education programs should emphasize the importance of avoiding suspicious links or unexpected content within web-based calendar applications. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of input validation and output encoding in preventing cross-site scripting attacks, particularly in applications that handle user-generated content and provide web-based interfaces for calendar management functions.