CVE-2002-1807 in phpWebSite
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in phpWebSite 0.8.3 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via Javascript in an IMG tag.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/01/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-1807 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within phpWebSite version 0.8.3 that fundamentally compromises web application security. This vulnerability falls under the well-established CWE-79 category known as "Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation" and specifically manifests as a client-side code injection vulnerability. The flaw exists in how the application processes user input when rendering web pages, particularly when handling image tags that contain javascript code within their attributes. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious input that includes javascript within an img tag, which then gets executed in the context of other users' browsers when they view the affected web page.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the phpWebSite application framework. When users submit content containing image tags with javascript code embedded in their attributes, the application fails to properly sanitize or escape these inputs before rendering them in web pages. This allows malicious javascript code to be executed in the browser context of other users who view the affected content, creating a persistent cross-site scripting attack vector. The vulnerability specifically targets the IMG tag processing functionality where javascript code can be embedded within the src attribute or other image-related parameters. This flaw demonstrates a classic lack of proper input sanitization and output encoding that has been documented in numerous security frameworks and standards.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it enables sophisticated attack scenarios that can compromise entire user sessions and facilitate further exploitation. Remote attackers can leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, inject malicious advertisements, or even execute more complex attacks such as credential harvesting or privilege escalation within the application context. The persistent nature of XSS vulnerabilities means that once exploited, attackers can maintain access to affected systems and users for extended periods. According to the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to the T1059.007 technique related to "Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript" and represents a significant threat to web application security. The vulnerability affects not just individual users but can potentially compromise the entire web application ecosystem, particularly when users have administrative privileges or access to sensitive data within the phpWebSite environment.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2002-1807 require immediate implementation of multiple defensive measures to protect against this cross-site scripting vulnerability. Organizations should prioritize upgrading to a patched version of phpWebSite that properly sanitizes user input and implements proper output encoding for all web content. The recommended approach includes implementing comprehensive input validation that filters out or escapes potentially malicious javascript code, particularly within image tag attributes and other HTML elements. Additionally, organizations should deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) headers that restrict the execution of inline scripts and limit the sources from which scripts can be loaded. The implementation of proper output encoding techniques such as HTML entity encoding for all user-generated content helps prevent the execution of malicious javascript code. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious patterns associated with XSS attacks, including javascript code embedded within image tags. Regular security audits and input validation testing should be conducted to ensure that similar vulnerabilities do not exist in other parts of the web application. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices and following secure coding guidelines that address the CWE-79 category of input validation flaws to prevent such persistent security weaknesses from affecting web applications.