CVE-2004-1578 in Invision Power Board
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in index.php in Invision Power Board 2.0.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary web script or HTML via the Referer field in the HTTP header.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/05/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2004-1578 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw that existed within the Invision Power Board 2.0.0 web application framework. This particular implementation of XSS vulnerability demonstrates how web applications can inadvertently execute malicious scripts when processing user-provided input through HTTP headers. The specific weakness resides in the index.php file where the application fails to properly sanitize or validate the Referer field, which is a standard HTTP header containing the URL of the page that linked to the current resource. This particular flaw exemplifies the common pattern where web applications trust HTTP headers without adequate input validation, creating an attack surface that malicious actors can exploit to inject malicious code.
The technical mechanism of exploitation involves attackers crafting a malicious Referer header value that contains embedded script code, typically in the form of javascript or html tags. When the vulnerable Invision Power Board application processes this header and displays it on the page without proper sanitization, the embedded scripts execute within the context of other users' browsers who visit the affected pages. This creates a persistent threat where the malicious code can perform actions such as stealing session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, or modifying the content displayed to victims. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and demonstrates the critical importance of input validation and output encoding in web security practices.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers to compromise the integrity and confidentiality of user sessions within the Invision Power Board environment. Users who encounter the malicious Referer header in their browser navigation can unknowingly become victims of session hijacking, data theft, or other malicious activities that the attacker has programmed into the injected script. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous in community forums and bulletin board systems where users frequently interact with content and where session management is crucial for maintaining user privacy and application security. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of the application by potentially allowing unauthorized access to user accounts and sensitive information, undermining the trust that users place in the forum platform.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding practices throughout the application code. The recommended approach involves sanitizing all user-provided input, including HTTP headers, by removing or encoding potentially dangerous characters before processing or displaying them. This aligns with the CWE-79 principle of ensuring that all output is properly escaped or encoded to prevent script injection attacks. Security measures should also include implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution sources and regular security auditing of web applications to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under the 'Command and Scripting Interpreter' technique, where attackers leverage web application flaws to execute malicious commands in user browsers, making it essential for organizations to maintain robust input validation mechanisms and conduct regular security assessments to prevent such exploitation scenarios.