CVE-2000-0252 in Dansie Shopping Cart
Summary
by MITRE
The dansie shopping cart application cart.pl allows remote attackers to execute commands via a shell metacharacters in a form variable.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/21/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2000-0252 resides within the dansie shopping cart application specifically in the cart.pl script which represents a critical security flaw enabling remote command execution through improper input validation. This weakness demonstrates a classic command injection vulnerability where the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before incorporating it into system commands. The flaw occurs when the application processes form variables containing shell metacharacters without adequate filtering or escaping mechanisms, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary commands that will be executed by the underlying operating system. Such vulnerabilities fall under the broader category of CWE-77 which specifically addresses command injection flaws, where user-controllable data is interpreted and executed as system commands.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and potentially catastrophic for any system running the affected shopping cart application. Remote attackers can leverage this flaw to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the web server process, potentially gaining full control over the affected system. Attackers may perform various malicious activities including but not limited to accessing sensitive data, modifying or deleting files, establishing backdoors, or using the compromised system as a launch point for further attacks within the network infrastructure. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system by allowing unauthorized execution of commands that can alter the system state, access restricted resources, or disrupt services.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal sophistication and can be accomplished through standard web-based attack techniques. An attacker would simply need to craft a malicious payload containing shell metacharacters such as semicolons, ampersands, or pipe characters within the form variables submitted to the cart.pl script. When the application processes these variables without proper sanitization, the injected commands execute in the context of the web server process, potentially providing attackers with elevated privileges and system access. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059 which describes the use of command and scripting interpreters for execution, and more specifically with T1203 which covers the exploitation of remote services for command execution.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. The most effective approach involves sanitizing all user-supplied input by removing or escaping shell metacharacters before processing, implementing proper parameterized queries where applicable, and avoiding direct command construction from user input. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious payloads, applying the principle of least privilege to limit the web server's capabilities, and conducting regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities. Additionally, the affected application should be updated to a patched version or replaced with a more secure alternative, as the vulnerability represents a fundamental flaw in the application's architecture that cannot be adequately secured through workarounds alone. The remediation process should also include comprehensive code review to identify and address similar patterns throughout the codebase that might present analogous security risks.