CVE-2015-2275 in Community Gallery
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in WoltLab Community Gallery 2.0 before 2014-12-26 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the parameters[data][7][title] parameter in a saveImageData action to index.php/AJAXProxy.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/05/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-2275 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the WoltLab Community Gallery 2.0 platform, specifically affecting versions prior to the December 26, 2014 release. This security weakness resides in the application's handling of user-supplied data within the AJAXProxy endpoint, which processes image data saving operations through the index.php interface. The vulnerability manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize or validate input parameters, particularly the data[7][title] parameter that is part of a complex nested data structure passed during the saveImageData action. This flaw enables remote attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML content directly into the application's response, creating a persistent vector for exploitation that can affect all users interacting with the vulnerable gallery platform.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability follows the classic XSS attack pattern where user-controllable data flows directly into the application's output without adequate sanitization or encoding mechanisms. The parameter[data][7][title] specifically represents a nested array element within the data structure that the application processes during image metadata saving operations. When this parameter contains malicious script content, the gallery's rendering engine executes the injected code within the context of other users' browsers, potentially allowing for session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. This vulnerability operates at the application layer and demonstrates poor input validation practices that violate fundamental web security principles.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-2275 extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with the capability to manipulate the gallery's functionality and compromise user sessions. An attacker could craft malicious titles that, when displayed in the gallery interface, would execute scripts that steal cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or even modify gallery content. The vulnerability affects the entire user base of the platform since any user viewing the compromised gallery pages could be exposed to the injected malicious code. This type of vulnerability particularly impacts community-based platforms where user-generated content is prevalent, as it allows attackers to leverage the trust users place in legitimate gallery content to deliver malicious payloads.
Organizations utilizing WoltLab Community Gallery 2.0 should prioritize immediate remediation through the application of the vendor-provided patch released on December 26, 2014, which addressed the input validation issues in the AJAXProxy endpoint. The mitigation strategy should include implementing comprehensive input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms, particularly for parameters flowing through AJAX interfaces. Security measures should align with CWE-79 standards for cross-site scripting prevention, requiring proper validation of all user-supplied data before processing and ensuring appropriate HTML encoding of dynamic content before rendering. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers and regular security audits of AJAX endpoints can help prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in the future, as outlined in the ATT&CK framework's web application exploitation techniques that emphasize the importance of input validation and output encoding in preventing XSS attacks.