CVE-2004-2267 in Ansel
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Ansel 2.1 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary HTML or web script via the album name.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/18/2017
The CVE-2004-2267 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in Ansel 2.1 and earlier versions of the web-based photo gallery application. This vulnerability specifically affects the album name parameter handling within the application's user interface, creating an avenue for remote attackers to execute malicious scripts against unsuspecting users. The flaw resides in the insufficient sanitization of user input, particularly when album names are processed and rendered back to users through web pages without proper HTML encoding or validation mechanisms.
This vulnerability operates under the Common Weakness Enumeration CWE-79 category, which classifies it as a failure to sanitize input that leads to cross-site scripting attacks. The technical implementation flaw occurs when the application accepts user-supplied album names and directly incorporates them into HTML output without appropriate sanitization or encoding. Attackers can exploit this by submitting specially crafted album names containing malicious HTML or JavaScript code, which then gets executed in the browsers of other users who view the affected gallery pages. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it allows attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts that can steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it can enable attackers to completely compromise user sessions and potentially gain unauthorized access to sensitive gallery content. When users browse galleries containing malicious album names, their browsers execute the injected scripts, which can lead to session hijacking, data exfiltration, or the deployment of additional malware. The vulnerability affects all users of affected Ansel versions regardless of their authentication status, making it particularly dangerous for public gallery installations where unauthenticated users can submit content. The attack vector requires no privileged access or complex exploitation techniques, making it easily exploitable by threat actors with minimal technical expertise.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2004-2267 should focus on immediate input validation and output encoding practices. Organizations should upgrade to Ansel versions that have patched this vulnerability, typically those released after 2004. The recommended approach involves implementing strict input sanitization for all user-supplied data, particularly parameters used in HTML rendering contexts. This includes applying HTML entity encoding to all user-provided content before rendering it in web pages, implementing proper content security policies, and utilizing parameterized input validation to reject potentially malicious content. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious input patterns, while conducting regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing to ensure that all user input handling paths properly sanitize data before any output rendering occurs, following the principle of least privilege and defense in depth strategies as outlined in cybersecurity best practices.