CVE-2013-4158 in SmokePing
Summary
by MITRE
smokeping before 2.6.9 has XSS (incomplete fix for CVE-2012-0790)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/10/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-4158 represents a cross-site scripting issue in the smokeping monitoring tool, specifically affecting versions prior to 2.6.9. This represents a regression or incomplete remediation of a previously addressed security concern, CVE-2012-0790, which highlights the persistent challenges organizations face when implementing proper input validation and output sanitization mechanisms in web applications. Smokeping is a network latency monitoring tool that provides web-based graphical interfaces for visualizing network performance data, making it a critical component in network operations centers where administrators rely on its dashboard for real-time monitoring of network health.
The technical flaw in CVE-2013-4158 stems from inadequate input sanitization within the smokeping web interface, allowing malicious actors to inject malicious scripts into the application's output. This vulnerability specifically affects the application's handling of user-supplied data that is subsequently rendered in web pages without proper encoding or validation. The incomplete fix for the previous CVE-2012-0790 demonstrates how security patches can sometimes be insufficiently comprehensive, leaving residual attack vectors that can be exploited by threat actors. The vulnerability exists within the application's parameter handling mechanisms, particularly when processing data from external sources or user inputs that are not properly escaped before being displayed in the browser context.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal administrator credentials, or redirect users to malicious websites. Network administrators who rely on smokeping for monitoring critical infrastructure are particularly at risk, as successful exploitation could allow attackers to gain unauthorized access to network monitoring data and potentially compromise the entire monitoring infrastructure. The vulnerability's presence in a tool designed for network monitoring creates a particularly dangerous scenario where an attacker could not only view sensitive network performance data but also manipulate the monitoring environment itself, potentially leading to false alerts or complete data corruption.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to smokeping version 2.6.9 or later, which contains the proper fix for this vulnerability. The remediation process should also include reviewing all input validation mechanisms within the application and implementing comprehensive output encoding for all user-supplied data. Security teams should consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block potential XSS payloads, while also conducting thorough penetration testing to identify any remaining vulnerabilities in the application's web interface. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a common pattern in web application security where incomplete fixes create persistent attack surfaces that can be exploited by adversaries following the tactics outlined in the attack pattern taxonomy.