CVE-2004-1657 in DasBlog
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Activity and Events Viewer for Newtelligence DasBlog allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) User Agent or (2) Referrer HTTP headers.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/13/2025
The CVE-2004-1657 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw discovered in the Newtelligence DasBlog platform's Activity and Events Viewer component. This vulnerability resides in the web application's handling of HTTP headers, specifically the User Agent and Referrer headers, which are commonly used by web servers and applications to track user navigation and browser information. The flaw allows remote attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of a victim's browser session, potentially leading to unauthorized actions or data theft.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding within the DasBlog application's viewer functionality. When the application processes incoming HTTP requests, it fails to properly sanitize or escape the User Agent and Referrer header values before displaying them in the web interface. This omission creates an opportunity for attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code or HTML content directly into the HTTP headers, which then gets rendered in the viewer without proper security filtering. The vulnerability operates at the application layer where user-supplied data enters the system through legitimate HTTP headers that are typically not considered security threats.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can be exploited to perform various malicious activities within the context of authenticated sessions. An attacker could craft specially formatted User Agent or Referrer headers containing malicious payloads that would execute when other users view the activity logs or events. This could lead to session hijacking, credential theft, data manipulation, or the redirection of users to malicious websites. The vulnerability affects the entire user base that accesses the Activity and Events Viewer, making it particularly dangerous as it can compromise multiple users simultaneously without requiring specific user interaction beyond visiting the affected page.
Organizations implementing this vulnerability should consider the broader implications within their security posture, as this flaw aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities in web applications. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under the 'Web Application Attack' domain, where adversaries exploit input validation weaknesses to execute arbitrary code. Mitigation strategies should include implementing proper header sanitization mechanisms, employing content security policies to restrict script execution, and conducting regular security assessments of web application components. The vulnerability highlights the importance of treating all HTTP headers as potential attack vectors and implementing comprehensive input validation across all application interfaces to prevent similar issues in other components.
This vulnerability serves as a historical example of how seemingly innocuous HTTP headers can become attack surfaces in web applications, emphasizing the critical need for defensive programming practices and the principle of least privilege in web application development. The remediation process involves updating the application code to properly escape or filter header values before rendering them in the user interface, implementing proper output encoding techniques, and potentially deploying web application firewalls to detect and block malicious header content.