CVE-2003-1164 in Mldonkey
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Mldonkey 2.5-4 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the URI, which is injected into the HTML error page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/22/2024
The CVE-2003-1164 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw in the Mldonkey peer-to-peer file sharing client version 2.5-4. This security weakness resides in the application's handling of URI parameters that are subsequently rendered in HTML error pages without proper sanitization or encoding. The vulnerability specifically affects the web interface component of Mldonkey, which processes user-supplied URI data and displays it within error messages generated by the application's web server module. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious URIs containing script code that gets executed when the error page is rendered in a victim's browser.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding practices within the Mldonkey web interface. When a user submits a malformed URI to the application, the system processes the input and generates an HTML error page that includes the raw URI content without proper HTML escaping or sanitization. This creates a condition where any script code embedded within the URI parameter gets interpreted as executable HTML when rendered in the browser context. The vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, where applications fail to properly encode or validate user-controllable data before including it in dynamically generated HTML content. This weakness enables attackers to inject malicious scripts that can execute in the context of the victim's browser session.
The operational impact of CVE-2003-1164 extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform session hijacking, defacement of the web interface, and potentially execute arbitrary commands on the victim's system through browser-based attacks. An attacker could craft malicious URIs that redirect users to phishing sites, steal session cookies, or inject malicious content that compromises the integrity of the web interface. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in peer-to-peer environments where users frequently interact with web interfaces and may be exposed to untrusted URI content from other users on the network. This type of attack aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 which covers scripting through web interfaces, and T1566 which encompasses social engineering via web-based attacks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the Mldonkey web interface. The primary remediation involves sanitizing all user-provided URI parameters before rendering them in HTML contexts, using proper HTML escaping techniques such as converting special characters to their HTML entities. Additionally, developers should implement proper content security policies and ensure that all dynamically generated HTML content properly escapes user input to prevent script execution. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of following secure coding practices as outlined in OWASP Top Ten and the principle of least privilege in web application development. Regular security audits and input validation testing should be implemented to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future versions of the software, with particular attention to web interface components that handle user-supplied data.