CVE-2017-9452 in Piwigo
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in admin.php in Piwigo 2.9.0 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the page parameter.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/08/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-9452 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in the Piwigo photo gallery software version 2.9.0 and earlier. This issue resides within the admin.php administrative interface file where user input is not properly sanitized before being rendered back to users. The vulnerability specifically affects the page parameter which is processed without adequate validation or encoding mechanisms, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of authenticated admin sessions.
This XSS vulnerability operates under CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting as a weakness where untrusted data is improperly handled and executed within web applications. The flaw enables remote attackers to inject malicious payloads through the page parameter, which when processed by the vulnerable admin.php script, gets rendered directly into web pages without proper sanitization. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious URLs containing script tags or other HTML content that will execute in the browser of any user who visits the affected page, particularly targeting administrators who have elevated privileges within the Piwigo system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it allows attackers to gain unauthorized access to administrative functions and potentially compromise the entire photo gallery system. An attacker could inject scripts that steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or even modify gallery content and settings. Since this affects the administrative interface, successful exploitation could lead to complete system compromise including data exfiltration, unauthorized user management, and modification of gallery configurations. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where administrators frequently access the gallery through web browsers, as the malicious scripts would execute in their privileged context.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-9452 should focus on immediate patching of affected Piwigo installations to version 2.9.1 or later where the XSS vulnerability has been addressed. Organizations should implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent similar issues in the future, following OWASP XSS prevention guidelines and ensuring all user-supplied data is properly escaped before rendering. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing content security policies to further limit the execution of unauthorized scripts within the application. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify potential injection points, and network monitoring should be employed to detect suspicious traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, specifically web shell execution, and T1566 for credential harvesting through phishing or session manipulation techniques that could be employed by attackers leveraging this XSS vulnerability.