CVE-2004-2109 in Q-Shop
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in (1) imagezoom.asp or (2) recommend.asp in Q-Shop allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary script and steal the user session ID via Javascript in a URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/06/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2109 represents a critical security flaw in Q-Shop software that affects two specific web components: imagezoom.asp and recommend.asp. This issue falls under the category of cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, which are among the most prevalent and dangerous web application security flaws. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within these web scripts, creating an opening for malicious actors to inject and execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of legitimate user sessions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to exploit the lack of proper sanitization in URL parameters processed by the affected scripts. When users navigate to specially crafted URLs containing malicious javascript payloads, the web application fails to properly escape or validate the input before rendering it in the browser context. This flaw directly maps to CWE-79 which defines cross-site scripting as the improper handling of untrusted data within web applications. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it enables session hijacking attacks where attackers can steal user session identifiers and impersonate legitimate users within the application.
The operational impact of CVE-2004-2109 extends beyond simple script execution to encompass complete user session compromise and potential data breaches. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of victims, including accessing sensitive user information, modifying account settings, or conducting transactions. The exploitation process follows typical XSS attack patterns where threat actors craft malicious URLs that, when clicked by unsuspecting users, execute scripts in the victim's browser context. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which describes the use of malicious scripts to hijack user sessions and gain unauthorized access to applications. The impact is particularly severe for e-commerce applications like Q-Shop where session compromise could lead to financial fraud and unauthorized access to customer data.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the affected web application components. Security patches should focus on sanitizing all user-supplied input before processing, implementing strict content security policies, and ensuring that all dynamic content is properly escaped before rendering. The recommended approach includes applying input validation at multiple layers including client-side and server-side controls, implementing proper HTTP headers such as X-Content-Type-Options and Content-Security-Policy, and conducting comprehensive code reviews to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and regular security assessments to prevent similar issues from arising in other parts of their web infrastructure. The remediation process should follow industry best practices for secure coding as outlined in OWASP Top Ten and similar security frameworks to ensure comprehensive protection against future cross-site scripting attacks.