CVE-2004-1982 in YaBB
Summary
by MITRE
Post.pl in YaBB 1 Gold SP 1.2 allows remote attackers to modify records in the board s .txt file via carriage return characters in the subject field.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/18/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2004-1982 represents a significant security flaw in the YaBB 1 Gold SP 1.2 bulletin board system that enables remote attackers to manipulate database records through improper input validation. This issue specifically affects the post.pl script which handles message posting functionality within the forum environment. The vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly sanitize user input, particularly in the subject field where carriage return characters can be injected to manipulate the underlying data storage mechanism.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of the subject field during message posting operations. When users submit posts with carriage return characters embedded in the subject line, these characters can be interpreted by the application's file handling routines to modify the structure of the .txt files that store board records. This creates a form of input injection attack where maliciously crafted input can alter how the application processes and stores data, effectively allowing attackers to modify existing records or inject malicious content into the board's data files.
This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-174, which describes the weakness of insufficient input sanitization or filtering in applications that process user-supplied data. The flaw demonstrates poor input validation practices that permit control characters to pass through the application's security controls. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability can be exploited by attackers to modify forum content, manipulate user data, or potentially gain unauthorized access to board administrative functions. The impact extends beyond simple data modification as it can compromise the integrity of the entire forum system and potentially provide a foothold for further attacks.
The attack vector for this vulnerability is particularly concerning as it requires no authentication and can be executed remotely through the web interface. Attackers can craft malicious posts with specially formatted subject lines that contain carriage return characters, which then get processed by the vulnerable post.pl script. This creates a persistent threat that can affect all users of the affected YaBB installation and can be exploited by anyone with access to the forum's posting functionality. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 which covers the use of scripting languages for exploitation, as the attack leverages the scripting nature of the forum's processing mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate input sanitization of all user-supplied data, particularly in fields that are written to persistent storage. The application should implement comprehensive filtering to remove or encode control characters including carriage returns, line feeds, and other special characters that could be used for data manipulation. Additionally, proper file access controls and input validation should be implemented to prevent unauthorized modifications to the .txt data files. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious input patterns, and conduct regular security audits to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of their web applications. The fix should be implemented in accordance with secure coding practices that emphasize input validation, output encoding, and proper error handling to prevent similar injection attacks from occurring in the future.