CVE-2003-1191 in e107
Summary
by MITRE
chatbox.php in e107 0.554 and 0.603 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (pages fail to load) via HTML in the Name field, which prevents the main.php form from being loaded.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/26/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2003-1191 represents a classic denial of service flaw affecting e107 content management systems version 0.554 and 0.603. This issue specifically targets the chatbox.php component which serves as a communication interface within the web application. The vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-provided data before processing. Attackers can exploit this weakness by injecting malicious HTML content into the Name field of the chatbox form, which subsequently disrupts the normal execution flow of the application.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper handling of untrusted input within the chatbox functionality. When users submit data through the Name field, the application does not adequately filter or escape HTML characters, allowing malicious payloads to be stored and processed. This lack of input sanitization creates a condition where specially crafted HTML code can interfere with the main.php form loading mechanism. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be classified under CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') with additional denial of service implications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it can effectively render entire pages inaccessible to legitimate users. When the malicious HTML content is processed by the chatbox component, it interferes with the normal parsing and rendering of the main application interface. This results in failed page loads and complete service unavailability for users attempting to access the affected functionality. The vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly innocuous input fields can become attack vectors capable of causing significant operational disruption.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 - Endpoint Denial of Service, where adversaries leverage application-level flaws to prevent legitimate users from accessing services. The attack requires minimal technical expertise and can be executed remotely, making it particularly dangerous for web applications. Organizations running affected e107 versions face potential service interruptions that can impact user experience and business operations. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of input validation and output encoding practices that should be implemented across all user-facing application components to prevent similar issues from occurring.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include implementing proper input validation and sanitization mechanisms that filter out HTML characters from user-submitted data. System administrators should immediately upgrade to patched versions of e107 where available, as this vulnerability was addressed in subsequent releases. Additionally, implementing proper output encoding techniques can prevent malicious HTML content from affecting the application's rendering process. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns in chatbox submissions that might indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and input validation rules that specifically target HTML injection attempts in form fields.