CVE-2004-1979 in PROPS
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in do_search.php in PROPS 0.6.1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary HTML or web script via the search_string parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/18/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-1979 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the PROPS 0.6.1 web application framework. This issue specifically affects the do_search.php component where user input is not properly sanitized before being rendered back to web browsers. The vulnerability resides in the search_string parameter handling, which allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript code that executes in the context of other users' browsers. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security flaws. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it enables remote code execution within user sessions without requiring authentication or privileged access to the application itself.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental failure in input validation and output encoding practices within the PROPS framework. When users submit search queries through the do_search.php script, the application accepts the search_string parameter directly without implementing proper sanitization or encoding mechanisms. This allows attackers to embed malicious payloads such as javascript:alert(document.cookie) or more sophisticated attack vectors that can steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability is classified as a reflected XSS attack since the malicious script is reflected back to users through the application's response. The attack typically occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious URL containing the XSS payload and sends it to victims, who then click on the link while authenticated to the vulnerable application.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or session hijacking. An attacker could leverage this flaw to perform a wide range of malicious activities including credential theft, privilege escalation, data manipulation, or even complete application compromise. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that successful exploitation can occur immediately when users click on malicious links, making it particularly dangerous for web applications that handle sensitive user information. This vulnerability directly violates security principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten 2017, specifically the A03:2017 - Injection category, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 - Exploitation for Credential Access. The impact is particularly severe for applications that rely on user search functionality, as the attack surface expands to include any user who interacts with search results or navigates to pages containing the reflected payload.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. The most effective immediate solution involves implementing proper input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied data, particularly in search functionality. This includes sanitizing the search_string parameter to remove or encode potentially dangerous characters such as < > " ' & and javascript: protocols. The application should implement a whitelist-based approach for acceptable input characters and ensure that all output is properly encoded for the context in which it is rendered. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts can be executed. Organizations should also consider implementing proper session management, input length limits, and regular security testing including automated scanning and manual penetration testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the application stack. The remediation process should follow established security frameworks such as those defined in NIST SP 800-53 and ISO/IEC 27001 to ensure comprehensive protection against this and similar vulnerabilities.