CVE-2002-0553 in Sunshop Shopping Cart
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting vulnerability in SunShop 2.5 and earlier allows remote attackers to gain administrative privileges to SunShop by injecting the script into fields during new customer registration.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/31/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2002-0553 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within SunShop version 2.5 and earlier systems. This security weakness specifically targets the customer registration process, creating an avenue for remote attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of the affected web application. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data entered during customer registration procedures. Attackers can exploit this weakness by injecting malicious javascript code into registration fields, which then gets executed when the application displays the user data. The severity of this vulnerability is amplified by its ability to grant administrative privileges, indicating that the malicious script execution can potentially compromise the entire administrative interface of the e-commerce platform. This represents a classic case of stored cross-site scripting where the injected payload persists in the application's database and executes against other users who view the compromised data. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79 which defines cross-site scripting as the failure to sanitize user input, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script injection. The attack vector leverages the trust relationship between the web application and its users, as legitimate registration forms become conduits for malicious code delivery. The impact extends beyond simple script execution to include potential privilege escalation, session hijacking, and full administrative control over the SunShop platform.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal prerequisites and can be accomplished through standard web application penetration testing methodologies. Attackers need only access to the customer registration page and the ability to submit data that will be stored and subsequently rendered without proper sanitization. The injected scripts can be crafted to perform various malicious activities including cookie theft, redirecting users to phishing sites, or executing commands with administrative privileges. The vulnerability's persistence stems from the application's failure to implement proper input validation at multiple points in the data flow, particularly during the processing of user registration data. The lack of proper output encoding means that even if the application attempts to validate input, the stored data remains vulnerable when displayed in administrative interfaces. This flaw creates a dangerous environment where any user who can register can potentially become an attacker with elevated privileges. The vulnerability's exploitation demonstrates the critical importance of implementing defense-in-depth strategies, including proper input validation, output encoding, and privilege separation mechanisms. Security controls should address both the immediate XSS vulnerability and the broader privilege escalation implications that arise from compromised administrative access.
Organizations running SunShop versions 2.5 or earlier must implement immediate mitigations to protect against this vulnerability. The primary remediation involves upgrading to a patched version of SunShop that includes proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Until such upgrades are implemented, organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious script injection attempts. Additional protective measures include implementing strict input validation rules that reject potentially dangerous characters and sequences, and ensuring that all user-generated content is properly encoded before display. The vulnerability's impact on administrative privileges necessitates immediate attention, as attackers could potentially access sensitive customer data, modify product information, or even compromise the entire e-commerce platform. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual registration patterns or script injection attempts. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments to identify other potential entry points that might share similar vulnerabilities. The remediation process must include comprehensive testing to ensure that the implemented fixes do not introduce new functionality issues while effectively addressing the XSS and privilege escalation concerns. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in the application architecture. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical need for secure coding practices and the importance of implementing proper input sanitization mechanisms throughout the application development lifecycle. Organizations should also establish incident response procedures specifically designed to handle cases where administrative privileges have been compromised through XSS vulnerabilities.