CVE-2013-5303 in Locator
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Store Locator (locator) extension before 3.1.5 for TYPO3 has unknown impact and remote attack vectors, related to "Insecure Unserialize."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/01/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-5303 affects the Store Locator extension for TYPO3 content management system, specifically versions prior to 3.1.5. This represents a critical security flaw that stems from insecure deserialization practices within the extension's codebase. The vulnerability is categorized as an insecure unserialize issue, which falls under the broader category of CWE-502 Untrusted Data Deserialization, a well-documented weakness that has been exploited in numerous high-profile security incidents across various platforms.
The technical flaw manifests when the Store Locator extension processes user-supplied data through PHP's unserialize function without adequate input validation or sanitization. This creates a pathway for remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on the affected TYPO3 server. The vulnerability's classification as having "unknown impact" suggests that the specific consequences of exploitation were not fully documented at the time of disclosure, though the insecure unserialization mechanism inherently poses severe risks including remote code execution, privilege escalation, and potential complete system compromise. The attack vector being remote indicates that an attacker can exploit this vulnerability without requiring physical access to the server or local network presence.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond immediate exploitation risks to encompass broader security implications for TYPO3 installations. Organizations running affected versions of the Store Locator extension face potential unauthorized access to their web applications, data breaches, and complete system compromise. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of the extension which is designed to manage and display store locations, making it particularly concerning for businesses that rely on location-based services. The insecure deserialization allows attackers to craft malicious serialized objects that, when processed by the vulnerable extension, can execute arbitrary PHP code with the privileges of the web server process.
Security practitioners should note that this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which involves gaining access to systems through exploitation of insecure deserialization vulnerabilities. The recommended mitigation strategy involves immediately upgrading the Store Locator extension to version 3.1.5 or later, which contains patches addressing the insecure unserialization flaw. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures including input validation, web application firewalls, and regular security audits to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper data validation and secure coding practices, particularly when handling serialized data from untrusted sources, and serves as a reminder of the ongoing need for security awareness in content management systems and web applications.
The broader implications of this vulnerability extend to the TYPO3 ecosystem and highlight the importance of maintaining current security patches for third-party extensions. Many organizations have experienced similar issues with insecure deserialization in various CMS platforms, making this vulnerability a prime example of how seemingly minor coding flaws can result in catastrophic security breaches. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of the affected extension across their infrastructure and ensure that proper security controls are in place to prevent exploitation attempts.