CVE-2002-0521 in ASP-Nuke
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting vulnerabilities in ASP-Nuke RC2 and earlier allow remote attackers to execute script or gain privileges as other ASP-Nuke users via script in (1) the name parameter in downloads.asp, (2) the message parameter in Post.asp, or (3) a web site URL in profile.asp.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/16/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2002-0521 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting ASP-Nuke versions RC2 and earlier, demonstrating a fundamental weakness in input validation and output sanitization within web applications. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically manifesting as stored XSS attacks that can persist across user sessions and potentially escalate privileges within the application's user context. The vulnerability impacts three distinct entry points within the ASP-Nuke framework, each presenting unique attack vectors that exploit the application's failure to properly sanitize user-supplied input before rendering it in web responses.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits three specific parameters across different ASP-Nuke scripts to inject malicious JavaScript code into the application's response. The first attack vector targets the name parameter in downloads.asp, where user-provided names are directly rendered without proper sanitization, allowing attackers to inject script code that executes when other users view download listings. The second vector operates through the message parameter in Post.asp, where forum posts or messages containing malicious scripts can be executed when viewed by other users, creating a persistent threat that propagates through the application's user base. The third vector targets the website URL field in profile.asp, where attackers can inject script code within URL parameters that get executed when users browse profiles, effectively turning user profile information into an attack platform.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers to perform privilege escalation attacks by impersonating other users within the ASP-Nuke application. This capability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for Valid Accounts and T1548.001 for Abuse of Cloud Infrastructure, as compromised user sessions can be leveraged to access restricted application features and potentially escalate to administrative privileges. The stored nature of these XSS attacks means that malicious scripts can affect multiple users over extended periods, creating persistent threats that can be used for session hijacking, credential theft, or data exfiltration. Attackers can craft sophisticated payloads that exploit the vulnerability to steal cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or even modify application data, depending on the level of access available to the compromised users.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2002-0521 should focus on comprehensive input validation and output encoding across all user-supplied parameters within the ASP-Nuke application. The most effective approach involves implementing strict sanitization of all input fields, particularly those that are rendered in web responses, using proper HTML encoding techniques to prevent script execution. Organizations should implement Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution contexts and employ regular expression validation to filter out potentially malicious input patterns. Additionally, the vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date application versions, as the affected ASP-Nuke RC2 and earlier versions contained known security flaws that were addressed in subsequent releases. The remediation process should include thorough code reviews to identify all potential XSS attack vectors, implementation of proper parameterized queries for database interactions, and comprehensive testing of all user input handling mechanisms to ensure that no similar vulnerabilities exist in other application components.