CVE-2001-0985 in Shopping Cart
Summary
by MITRE
shop.pl in Hassan Consulting Shopping Cart 1.23 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters in the "page" parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/30/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2001-0985 affects the Hassan Consulting Shopping Cart version 1.23, specifically targeting the shop.pl script that handles web-based shopping cart functionality. This represents a classic command injection flaw that arises from inadequate input validation and sanitization within the application's parameter handling mechanisms. The vulnerability exists in the way the application processes the "page" parameter, which is used to determine which page content to display within the shopping cart interface. When an attacker submits malicious input containing shell metacharacters through this parameter, the application fails to properly sanitize or escape these characters before using them in system command execution contexts.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the improper handling of user-supplied input that gets directly incorporated into system commands without adequate filtering or encoding. This type of flaw falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-77, which specifically addresses command injection vulnerabilities where untrusted data is used in the construction of system commands. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system with the privileges of the web server process, potentially enabling full system compromise. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform actions such as reading sensitive files, executing additional malicious commands, establishing backdoors, or accessing other system resources that should remain protected.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized command execution, as it provides attackers with a potential foothold for further compromise within the network infrastructure. The affected system becomes vulnerable to various attack vectors including privilege escalation, data exfiltration, and persistent access. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and script execution, and potentially T1078 for valid accounts usage if the web server process has elevated privileges. The vulnerability affects not just the immediate application functionality but represents a fundamental security flaw in the application's architecture that could lead to complete system compromise and data breaches.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper input validation and sanitization measures throughout the application code. The most effective immediate fix involves implementing strict parameter validation that filters out or escapes shell metacharacters before any input is processed. Organizations should also implement proper output encoding when displaying user-supplied content and employ secure coding practices such as using parameterized commands instead of direct string concatenation. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls, input validation layers, and regular security code reviews can help prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future versions. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of following secure coding guidelines and performing regular security assessments to identify and remediate injection flaws that could provide attackers with unauthorized system access.