CVE-2002-1680 in CGI Online Worldweb Shopping
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in CGI Online Worldweb Shopping 1.1 (a.k.a. COWS) allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary script as other users by injecting script into (1) diagnose.cgi or (2) compatible.cgi.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/19/2019
The CVE-2002-1680 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in CGI Online Worldweb Shopping 1.1, commonly referred to as COWS. This web application framework was designed for online commerce functionality but suffered from a fundamental security weakness that allowed malicious actors to inject client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability specifically targeted two CGI scripts within the application: diagnose.cgi and compatible.cgi, which served as entry points for attackers to exploit the XSS vulnerability. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within these scripts, creating an environment where untrusted data could be processed and rendered without proper sanitization. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a common weakness in web application security. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a code injection technique under the T1566.001 sub-technique, specifically targeting web applications through input validation bypasses.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to craft malicious payloads that would be executed in the context of other users' browsers when they access the vulnerable web pages. When users interact with the diagnose.cgi or compatible.cgi scripts, their browsers would render the injected script content as legitimate HTML, enabling attackers to perform actions such as stealing session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, or modifying web page content. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it enables attackers to impersonate legitimate users and potentially gain unauthorized access to their accounts or perform unauthorized transactions. The attack vector relies on the web application failing to properly escape or encode user-supplied input before displaying it in web responses, creating a persistent XSS condition that can be triggered by any user who accesses the vulnerable pages. The impact extends beyond simple script execution as it can lead to complete account compromise and data theft.
The operational consequences of this vulnerability are severe for organizations using COWS shopping applications, as it creates a persistent threat that can be exploited by anyone with access to the vulnerable web interface. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to steal session tokens, which would allow them to assume the identity of legitimate users and potentially access sensitive customer data or perform fraudulent transactions. The vulnerability also enables more sophisticated attacks such as credential harvesting, where attackers can capture login information submitted by users. Additionally, the XSS flaw can be combined with other attack techniques to create more complex exploitation chains, potentially leading to complete system compromise. Organizations may face significant reputational damage and regulatory compliance issues if customer data is compromised through such attacks, as the vulnerability directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of web applications. The vulnerability's persistence means that once exploited, the malicious scripts can continue to affect users until the underlying flaw is patched or mitigated.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2002-1680 should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the affected CGI scripts. Organizations should ensure that all user-supplied data is properly sanitized before being processed or displayed in web responses, using techniques such as HTML entity encoding and input validation filters. The most effective long-term solution involves applying the official security patches released by the software vendor or migrating to updated versions of the shopping application that address the XSS vulnerability. Network-based mitigations such as web application firewalls can provide additional protection by detecting and blocking malicious script injection attempts, though these should not be considered a substitute for proper code-level fixes. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other web applications within the organization's infrastructure. Organizations should also implement proper security training for developers to prevent similar issues in custom web applications and ensure that input validation and output encoding are consistently applied throughout the application codebase. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing secure coding practices and maintaining up-to-date security patches as fundamental defense mechanisms against client-side attacks.