CVE-2004-2098 in TBE Banner Engine
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the banner engine (TBE) 5.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary script as other users via the HTML banner view/preview capability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/16/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2098 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Text-Based Banner Engine (TBE) version 5.0, a component commonly used in web applications for displaying dynamic content through banner advertisements. This vulnerability resides in the HTML banner view and preview functionality, which serves as a mechanism for administrators or users to visualize banner content before deployment. The flaw enables malicious actors to inject arbitrary JavaScript code into the banner rendering system, potentially compromising user sessions and data integrity across the affected platform.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the banner engine's processing pipeline. When users interact with the HTML banner preview feature, the system fails to properly sanitize user-supplied content before rendering it in the browser context. This inadequate sanitization creates an opening for attackers to embed malicious scripts that execute within the security context of legitimate users who view the compromised banners. The vulnerability specifically affects the preview functionality, suggesting that the sanitization mechanisms may be bypassed or disabled during content rendering for administrative purposes.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers to perform session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration against authenticated users. When legitimate users access pages containing maliciously crafted banners, their browsers execute the injected scripts, potentially allowing attackers to steal cookies, capture form submissions, or redirect users to malicious domains. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where banner systems are frequently updated by multiple administrators or where user-generated content is permitted, as the attack surface expands significantly.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which describes cross-site scripting flaws resulting from insufficient input validation and output encoding. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a technique for code injection within the execution phase, specifically targeting web application interfaces. Organizations should implement comprehensive input sanitization measures including HTML entity encoding, content security policies, and strict output validation to prevent the execution of unauthorized scripts. Additionally, regular security assessments and code reviews should focus on all user-facing content rendering systems, particularly those handling dynamic HTML content, to identify similar vulnerabilities in banner engines and other web application components.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching of affected TBE installations, implementation of web application firewalls to detect and block malicious payloads, and comprehensive user education regarding the risks of viewing untrusted banner content. Organizations should also establish secure coding practices that enforce strict input validation and output encoding across all web application components, particularly those handling user-generated content. Regular penetration testing and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify and remediate similar weaknesses in banner systems and other dynamic content rendering modules that may present similar attack vectors.