CVE-2004-0358 in Virtuanews Pro
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in VirtuaNews Admin Panel Pro 1.0.3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary script as other users via (1) the mainnews parameter in admin.php, (2) the expand parameter in admin.php, (3) the id parameter in admin.php, (4) the catid parameter in admin.php, or (5) an unnamed parameter during the newslogo_upload action in admin.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/19/2025
This cross-site scripting vulnerability exists within the VirtuaNews Admin Panel Pro 1.0.3 web application, representing a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the administrative interface, specifically affecting multiple parameters across different endpoints within the admin.php file. The flaw allows attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized administrative actions. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a common weakness in web applications where user-supplied data is improperly sanitized before being rendered in web pages. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it affects multiple entry points within the administrative panel, providing attackers with several potential pathways to exploit the vulnerability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when user input from the specified parameters is directly incorporated into dynamically generated web content without proper sanitization or encoding. When an attacker crafts malicious input containing script code within any of the affected parameters - mainnews, expand, id, catid, or the unnamed parameter during newslogo_upload - the application fails to properly escape or validate this data before it is rendered in the browser. This allows the malicious scripts to execute within the context of other users' sessions, potentially granting attackers elevated privileges or access to sensitive administrative functions. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects the administrative interface itself, meaning that successful exploitation could result in complete compromise of the web application's administrative capabilities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a code injection technique under the T1566.001 sub-technique, specifically targeting the web application layer where the vulnerability exists.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity of the administrative interface and the trust boundaries within the web application. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, modify administrative settings, delete content, or even escalate privileges to gain full control over the VirtuaNews installation. The fact that multiple parameters are affected increases the attack surface and reduces the effectiveness of simple input filtering approaches, as attackers need only find one vulnerable parameter to achieve their objectives. Organizations using this vulnerable version of VirtuaNews face significant risk of unauthorized access and data compromise, particularly if the administrative interface is accessible to untrusted users. The vulnerability also impacts the application's security posture by potentially enabling attackers to establish persistent access through session manipulation or by creating backdoors within the web application's functionality.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term security improvements within the application's codebase. The most effective immediate solution involves implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding across all user-supplied parameters, ensuring that any data entering the application is properly sanitized before being processed or displayed. This includes implementing proper HTML escaping for all dynamic content generation, particularly within the administrative interface where user input is most prevalent. Organizations should also consider implementing content security policies to prevent script execution from unauthorized sources and establish proper access controls to limit administrative access to trusted users only. Additionally, regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other parts of the application or related components. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation and output encoding practices as outlined in OWASP Top Ten security requirements, emphasizing that proper sanitization of user input is essential for preventing XSS attacks across all web applications.