CVE-2004-0254 in Discuz! Board
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Discuz! Board 2.x and 3.x allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary script as other users via an img tag.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/27/2025
The CVE-2004-0254 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in Discuz! Board versions 2.x and 3.x, a widely used bulletin board system that was prevalent in web communities during the early 2000s. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as one of the most common and dangerous web application security flaws. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user input, particularly in contexts where image tags are processed, allowing malicious actors to inject malicious scripts that execute in the browsers of other users who view affected content.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the insecure handling of HTML content within the Discuz! Board platform, particularly when processing user-submitted data that includes image tags. Attackers can craft malicious input containing script code within img tag attributes or related HTML elements, which gets stored and subsequently executed when other users browse the affected forum pages. This occurs because the application does not adequately filter or escape user-provided content before rendering it in web pages, creating an environment where malicious scripts can be injected and executed in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it enables attackers to perform actions on behalf of legitimate users, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or further compromise of the affected systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the capability to manipulate user sessions and potentially gain unauthorized access to user accounts. When users view forum content containing malicious scripts, the injected code executes in their browsers, potentially stealing cookies, session tokens, or other sensitive information. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 for "Account Access Removal" and T1071.001 for "Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocols" as it exploits web application vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access and manipulate user sessions. The attack vector is particularly effective in community-based platforms like Discuz! Board where users frequently interact with content created by others, making the potential impact of such an attack widespread and significant.
The remediation approach for this vulnerability requires comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the Discuz Board or similar platforms should prioritize immediate patching and validation of their systems to prevent potential exploitation of this and similar vulnerabilities.