CVE-2017-9836 in Piwigo
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Piwigo 2.9.1 allows remote authenticated administrators to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the virtual_name parameter to /admin.php (i.e., creating a virtual album).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/09/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-9836 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Piwigo photo gallery management system version 2.9.1. This security weakness specifically targets authenticated administrator users who possess the privileges to create virtual albums within the system. The vulnerability manifests through the improper validation and sanitization of user input in the virtual_name parameter field of the admin.php endpoint, creating a persistent vector for malicious code injection that can be exploited by attackers with administrative access levels.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an authenticated administrator navigates to the virtual album creation interface at /admin.php and submits a malicious value in the virtual_name parameter. This parameter is used to define the name of a virtual album, which is then rendered in the web interface without adequate input sanitization. The flaw allows attackers to inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript code that gets executed in the context of other users' browsers when they view the affected virtual album. This behavior aligns with CWE-79 which classifies cross-site scripting vulnerabilities as weaknesses that allow attackers to inject malicious scripts into web applications viewed by other users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform session hijacking, steal user credentials, redirect users to malicious websites, or even execute arbitrary commands on the affected system. Since the vulnerability requires administrative privileges to exploit, it represents a privilege escalation vector that could allow attackers to gain deeper access to the system's functionality. The attack surface is particularly concerning because administrators often have elevated privileges and may be less cautious about the content they interact with in the management interface.
This vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1566 for social engineering and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter usage. The attack chain typically involves an attacker who has already compromised administrative credentials or gained access to an administrative account, then leveraging this privilege to inject malicious code into virtual albums. The malicious code can persist in the system until the virtual album is removed or the application is updated, making it a particularly dangerous persistent threat. Organizations using Piwigo 2.9.1 should prioritize immediate remediation through official security patches provided by the Piwigo development team, as the vulnerability directly impacts the integrity of the application's administrative interface.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching of the affected Piwigo installation to version 2.9.2 or later, which contains the necessary input validation fixes. Additionally, organizations should implement network segmentation to limit administrative access to the Piwigo application, enforce multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts, and conduct regular security audits of administrative interfaces. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual administrative activities and potential injection attempts within the virtual album creation functionality. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of input validation and output encoding practices, which align with security best practices outlined in OWASP Top 10 and NIST cybersecurity frameworks.