CVE-2003-1277 in YaBB
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Yet Another Bulletin Board (YaBB) 1.5.0 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary script as other users and possibly steal authentication information via cookies by injecting arbitrary HTML or script into (1) news_icon of news_template.php, and (2) threadid and subject of index.html
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2003-1277 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Yet Another Bulletin Board version 1.5.0 software ecosystem. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that enables attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability specifically affects the news_template.php and index.html files within the YaBB bulletin board system, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the platform's input validation mechanisms.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of specific input parameters within the YaBB application. Attackers can inject malicious HTML or script code into the news_icon field of news_template.php and simultaneously target the threadid and subject parameters within index.html. These injection points represent critical entry points where user-supplied data is not properly sanitized or validated before being rendered in the web application's output. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary scripts in the context of other users' browsers, effectively enabling session hijacking and authentication information theft through cookie manipulation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the capability to impersonate legitimate users within the bulletin board environment. When users view affected pages, the injected scripts execute in their browsers, potentially leading to unauthorized access to private forums, message boards, and user accounts. The theft of authentication cookies represents a particularly dangerous aspect of this vulnerability, as it enables persistent unauthorized access to user sessions without requiring additional credentials. This weakness fundamentally undermines the authentication and authorization mechanisms that should protect user sessions and private communications within the bulletin board system.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2003-1277 should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the YaBB application. The primary defense involves sanitizing all user-supplied input before processing or rendering, ensuring that HTML and script characters are properly escaped or removed from data fields. This approach aligns with the ATT&CK framework's mitigation techniques for web application vulnerabilities, particularly those targeting input validation weaknesses. Organizations should also implement Content Security Policy headers to prevent unauthorized script execution, while regular security audits and code reviews should verify that all input handling mechanisms properly validate and sanitize data. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation in web applications, as highlighted by industry standards that emphasize the need for robust sanitization of all user-controllable data elements to prevent XSS attacks.