CVE-2001-1584 in Cardboard
Summary
by MITRE
CardBoard 2.4 greeting card CGI by Michael Barretto allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters in the recipient field.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/06/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2001-1584 resides within CardBoard 2.4, a greeting card CGI application developed by Michael Barretto. This particular software component represents a classic example of a command injection flaw that emerged during the early 2000s era of web application development when input validation mechanisms were less sophisticated and security considerations were often overlooked. The vulnerability specifically manifests in the recipient field processing functionality of the greeting card application, where the software fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into system commands.
The technical flaw stems from the application's improper handling of shell metacharacters within the recipient field parameter. When a user submits a greeting card with malicious input containing characters such as semicolons, ampersands, or backticks, the application directly passes this unvalidated data to underlying shell commands without adequate sanitization or escaping mechanisms. This creates a command injection vulnerability that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary system commands with the privileges of the web server process. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-77 which categorizes improper neutralization of special elements used in a command, and specifically relates to CWE-94 which addresses the execution of arbitrary code due to improper input validation in interpreted languages.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted. Remote attackers can leverage this flaw to gain unauthorized access to the underlying system, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The attacker could execute commands such as reading sensitive files, modifying system configurations, installing malware, or even establishing persistent backdoors. The vulnerability affects not just the application itself but the entire hosting environment, as the executed commands run with the privileges of the web server process which often has elevated permissions. This represents a critical security risk for any organization relying on outdated web applications, particularly those in the early stages of web development where security best practices were not yet widely adopted.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. The most effective immediate fix involves implementing proper input validation and sanitization mechanisms that escape or filter shell metacharacters from user input before processing. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059 which describes the execution of malicious commands through various system interfaces. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious input patterns, and deploy proper access controls to limit the privileges of web server processes. Additionally, this vulnerability underscores the importance of regular security assessments and the need for comprehensive input validation across all application components. The incident highlights the critical nature of the principle of least privilege and demonstrates how a single input field can become a gateway for complete system compromise, making it essential for organizations to adopt defense-in-depth strategies that include proper code review processes and security training for developers.