CVE-2004-1197 in Inmail
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in inshop.pl in Insite inShop allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the screen parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/19/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-1197 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the inshop.pl component of Insite inShop web application. This security weakness resides in the application's handling of user input through the screen parameter, which fails to properly validate or sanitize data before incorporating it into web responses. The vulnerability classifies under CWE-79 as an improper neutralization of input during web page generation, making it susceptible to malicious code injection attacks that can compromise user sessions and data integrity.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability occurs when the inshop.pl script processes the screen parameter without adequate sanitization measures. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that exploit this weakness by embedding script code within the screen parameter value, which then gets executed in the context of other users' browsers when they access the affected page. This type of vulnerability enables threat actors to perform session hijacking, steal cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or inject additional malicious content that can persist within the application's user interface.
Operationally, this vulnerability presents significant risks to organizations using Insite inShop as it allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code within victim browsers without requiring authentication or privileged access. The impact extends beyond simple data theft to include potential full compromise of user sessions and possible privilege escalation if the application handles sensitive user information or administrative functions. The vulnerability affects the web application's integrity and can lead to widespread client-side compromise across all users who interact with the affected application components.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2004-1197 should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should sanitize all user-supplied input through the screen parameter using proper escaping techniques before rendering content in web pages. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers and proper HTTP response headers can provide additional protection layers. Security practitioners should also consider implementing web application firewalls and regular security scanning to detect similar vulnerabilities. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which involves the use of malicious code injection to manipulate web applications and compromise user sessions. Regular security updates and patch management procedures should be enforced to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities in legacy web applications, with particular attention to applications that have not received security updates since 2004.