CVE-2003-0484 in phpBB
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in viewtopic.php for phpBB allows remote attackers to insert arbitrary web script via the topic_id parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/18/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2003-0484 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the phpBB bulletin board system that emerged during the early 2000s era of web application security. This particular weakness resides in the viewtopic.php script which serves as the primary interface for displaying individual forum topics. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly escape or encode user-supplied data before rendering it within the web page context. Attackers can exploit this flaw by crafting malicious URLs containing specially formatted topic_id parameters that, when processed by the vulnerable phpBB application, get executed in the browsers of unsuspecting users who visit the affected pages.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability falls squarely within the scope of CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which specifically addresses the failure to properly sanitize user input before incorporating it into web page content. This particular weakness allows attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute within the context of the victim's browser session, potentially enabling session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability's exploitation occurs through the topic_id parameter which, when improperly handled, becomes a conduit for script injection attacks. The flaw essentially permits an attacker to inject HTML or JavaScript code that gets rendered as part of the web page content, making it particularly dangerous for forum environments where users frequently interact with content from multiple sources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution to encompass significant security implications for phpBB installations and their user communities. When successfully exploited, the XSS vulnerability enables attackers to perform actions such as stealing cookies, modifying forum content, redirecting users to phishing sites, or even executing arbitrary commands within the victim's browser context. The vulnerability affects all versions of phpBB prior to the security patches released in 2003, making it particularly concerning for organizations that maintained outdated installations. Given that forums typically host sensitive discussions and user-generated content, the potential for data exfiltration and user manipulation increases substantially. The attack vector is particularly insidious because it requires minimal user interaction beyond visiting a maliciously crafted URL, making it an effective method for widespread exploitation.
Security mitigations for CVE-2003-0484 primarily focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding techniques that align with established security best practices. The most effective remediation involves ensuring that all user-supplied input parameters, particularly those used in dynamic content generation, are properly sanitized before being incorporated into web page output. This approach corresponds to the defensive strategies recommended by the OWASP Top Ten and aligns with the ATT&CK framework's mitigation strategies for web application vulnerabilities. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation that filters out potentially malicious characters and employs proper output encoding mechanisms for all dynamic content. Additionally, the vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining current security patches and implementing regular security assessments of web applications. The fix typically involves updating to phpBB versions that include proper parameter sanitization and input validation for the topic_id parameter, ensuring that all user input is properly escaped before being rendered in the browser context.