CVE-2004-1738 in JSHop Server
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in page.php in JShop allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the xPage parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/16/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-1738 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the JShop e-commerce platform's page.php script. This security weakness resides in the handling of the xPage parameter, which fails to properly sanitize user input before incorporating it into web page responses. The vulnerability classification aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting attacks where untrusted data is improperly incorporated into web pages without adequate validation or encoding measures. Attackers can exploit this flaw by crafting malicious payloads within the xPage parameter that get executed in the context of other users' browsers when they access the affected page.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a failure in input validation and output encoding practices that are fundamental to web application security. When the page.php script processes the xPage parameter, it directly incorporates user-supplied data into the HTTP response without proper sanitization or context-appropriate encoding. This allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary HTML content or JavaScript code that executes in the victim's browser session. The attack vector operates through standard web request mechanisms where an attacker can manipulate the xPage parameter to deliver malicious scripts that persistently affect users who view the compromised page.
The operational impact of CVE-2004-1738 extends beyond simple script injection, potentially enabling sophisticated attack scenarios that can compromise user sessions, steal sensitive information, or redirect users to malicious sites. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to execute session hijacking attacks, steal cookies, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of web applications by allowing unauthorized code execution in legitimate user contexts, which can lead to data breaches, privilege escalation, or complete system compromise depending on the application's access controls and the privileges of affected users.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should encompass both immediate defensive measures and long-term architectural improvements. The primary remediation involves implementing proper input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied parameters, particularly those used in dynamic page generation. This includes applying context-specific encoding such as HTML entity encoding for output displayed in HTML contexts, JavaScript encoding for dynamic script generation, and URL encoding for parameters passed in URLs. Organizations should also implement proper parameter validation to restrict input to expected formats and lengths, and consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution capabilities. The vulnerability highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to established security frameworks such as those recommended by the Open Web Application Security Project, which emphasize the critical need for input sanitization and output encoding in preventing XSS attacks. Additionally, regular security testing including dynamic application security testing and manual penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in web applications.