CVE-2004-2177 in Web Forum
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in DevoyBB Web Forum 1.0.0 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/05/2019
The CVE-2004-2177 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in DevoyBB Web Forum version 1.0.0, a widely used bulletin board system that was prevalent in the early 2000s. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as one of the top ten web application security risks by the OWASP Top Ten Project. The flaw specifically affects the forum's input validation mechanisms, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content into the application's output. The vulnerability's classification as a remote attack vector means that threat actors can exploit this weakness without requiring physical access to the target system or network, making it particularly dangerous for web applications that handle user-generated content.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization of user inputs within the DevoyBB forum's message posting and display mechanisms. When users submit content through the forum's interface, the application fails to properly validate or escape special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code. This allows attackers to craft malicious payloads that get executed in the browsers of other forum users who view the compromised content. The vulnerability's description mentions "unknown vectors" which suggests that the attack surface may have been broader than initially understood, potentially affecting multiple input points within the application's user interface including but not limited to post titles, message bodies, user profiles, or even administrative configuration fields. The lack of comprehensive input validation creates multiple potential injection points where malicious code can be silently embedded and executed in the context of other users' browsing sessions.
The operational impact of CVE-2004-2177 extends far beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform session hijacking, defacement of forum content, and potentially execute more sophisticated attacks through the forum's user base. An attacker could craft malicious posts containing JavaScript that steals cookies or session tokens from users, effectively allowing them to impersonate legitimate forum members and gain unauthorized access to accounts. The vulnerability could also enable attackers to redirect users to malicious websites, deface forum content to spread malware, or create persistent backdoors within the forum environment. Given that web forums typically contain sensitive user information including usernames, email addresses, and potentially personal communication, this vulnerability represents a significant risk to user privacy and data integrity. The attack could be amplified through social engineering tactics where users are tricked into clicking on malicious links within forum posts, making the exploitation particularly effective in community-driven environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2004-2177 should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the DevoyBB application. The most effective approach involves implementing proper HTML entity encoding for all user-generated content before rendering it on web pages, ensuring that special characters are properly escaped to prevent interpretation as HTML or JavaScript code. Organizations should also implement Content Security Policy headers to limit the execution of inline scripts and restrict the sources from which content can be loaded. The vulnerability's age and the specific version affected indicate that upgrading to a patched version of DevoyBB or migrating to a more modern forum platform would be the most comprehensive solution. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and input validation rules that specifically target XSS attack patterns would provide additional layers of protection. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques such as T1059.007 (Scripting) and T1566.002 (Phishing), as it enables attackers to execute malicious code through compromised user sessions and potentially spread through social engineering campaigns targeting forum communities. Security monitoring should include detection of suspicious script injection patterns and user behavior anomalies that might indicate exploitation attempts.