CVE-2004-1844 in Member Management System
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Member Management System 2.1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via (1) the err parameter to error.asp or (2) register.asp.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/19/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2004-1844 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Member Management System version 2.1, specifically targeting the error.asp and register.asp scripts. This issue falls under the well-documented CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, where the system fails to properly sanitize user input before incorporating it into dynamically generated web content. The vulnerability exists because the application does not validate or escape special characters in the err parameter when processing error.asp requests, nor does it adequately filter input during the registration process in register.asp.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when remote attackers craft malicious payloads containing script tags or executable code within the err parameter or registration form fields. When the vulnerable application processes these inputs and displays them without proper sanitization, the injected code executes within the context of other users' browsers who visit the affected pages. This creates a persistent threat where malicious scripts can steal session cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or perform unauthorized actions on behalf of victims. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it leverages legitimate application functionality to deliver malicious content, making detection more challenging for security monitoring systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it can enable attackers to compromise the entire user session management system. When users browse to pages containing the injected scripts, their browser sessions become vulnerable to hijacking, allowing unauthorized access to member accounts and sensitive personal information. The attack requires no special privileges or complex exploitation techniques, making it particularly dangerous for widespread deployment. The vulnerability affects the core membership functionality of the system, potentially compromising user privacy and the integrity of member data. This type of vulnerability directly violates security principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten, specifically the XSS category, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious web content.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. The system should employ proper parameter sanitization techniques, including HTML entity encoding of all user-supplied input before rendering it in web pages. Additionally, implementing a Content Security Policy (CSP) header can provide an additional layer of protection against script execution. The application should also utilize prepared statements and parameterized queries where database interactions occur, though this particular vulnerability is primarily concerned with client-side script injection rather than server-side database attacks. Regular security code reviews and automated vulnerability scanning should be implemented to identify similar issues in other application components, as this represents a common class of vulnerability that frequently appears in legacy web applications. The remediation process requires immediate patching of the affected scripts to ensure proper input validation and output sanitization, with comprehensive testing to verify that the fix does not break legitimate application functionality.