CVE-2002-0118 in Ultimate Bulletin Board
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting vulnerability in Infopop Ultimate Bulletin Board (UBB) 6.2.0 Beta Release 1.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary script and steal cookies via a message containing encoded Javascript in an IMG tag.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/22/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-0118 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in the Infopop Ultimate Bulletin Board version 6.2.0 Beta Release 1.0. This security weakness falls under the common weakness enumeration CWE-79 which specifically addresses improper neutralization of input during web page generation, making it a classic XSS vulnerability. The flaw manifests when the bulletin board software fails to properly sanitize user input before rendering it in web pages, creating an environment where malicious scripts can be injected and executed within the context of other users' browsers.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of IMG tags within message content, where attackers can embed encoded javascript code that gets executed when other users view the malicious posts. This particular implementation leverages the IMG tag's ability to load external resources, combined with the board's insufficient input validation mechanisms that fail to strip or encode potentially dangerous script content. The vulnerability specifically targets the rendering process of user-generated content, where the software directly incorporates user-submitted data into HTML output without adequate sanitization measures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution to include significant session hijacking capabilities through cookie theft. When malicious scripts execute within victim browsers, they can access and transmit sensitive authentication cookies to attacker-controlled servers, effectively allowing unauthorized users to impersonate legitimate board members. This compromises the entire user authentication system and potentially provides access to private messages, user accounts, and administrative functions within the bulletin board environment. The vulnerability affects all users who view the malicious content, making it particularly dangerous in community forums where content is frequently shared and viewed by multiple participants.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2002-0118 require immediate implementation of robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive content sanitization that strips or encodes dangerous HTML tags including IMG tags, while also applying proper context-aware output encoding for all user-generated content. The recommended approach aligns with security best practices outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and follows the principle of least privilege in web application security. System administrators should also consider implementing web application firewalls and content security policies to provide additional layers of protection against similar vulnerabilities. Regular security updates and patch management processes become essential to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities in legacy software versions, particularly in environments where older bulletin board systems continue to operate without proper security hardening measures.