CVE-2004-2279 in IP.Board
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Invision Power Board 1.3 Final allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary script as other users via the pop parameter in a chat action to index.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/20/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2279 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Invision Power Board version 1.3 Final, a widely deployed web-based forum software that was prevalent in the early 2000s. This vulnerability specifically targets the chat functionality of the platform, creating a pathway for malicious actors to inject and execute arbitrary scripts within the context of other users' browsers. The flaw manifests when the pop parameter in the chat action of index.php is manipulated, allowing attackers to exploit the application's insufficient input validation mechanisms. The vulnerability falls under the category of CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which is a fundamental weakness in web application security that enables attackers to inject malicious code into web pages viewed by other users. The attack vector leverages the trust relationship between the web application and its users, as the injected scripts execute with the privileges of the victim user, potentially compromising their session cookies, personal data, or entire accounts.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic XSS flaw where user-supplied input flows directly into the web page output without proper sanitization or encoding. When the pop parameter is passed through the chat action in index.php, the application fails to adequately validate or escape the input before rendering it within the HTML response. This creates an environment where attackers can embed malicious JavaScript code within the parameter value, which then gets executed whenever other users view the affected chat page. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates in a context where users trust the forum application, making social engineering attacks more effective as victims are less likely to suspect malicious content within familiar forum interfaces. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability represents a significant risk to user privacy and data integrity, as it could enable attackers to steal session tokens, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of compromised users.
The impact of CVE-2004-2279 extends beyond simple script execution, potentially enabling more sophisticated attacks within the framework of the ATT&CK methodology, particularly under the T1059.007 - Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript category. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access through session hijacking, create backdoor accounts, or harvest sensitive information from forum users. The vulnerability's exploitation capability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 - Account Access Removal, as compromised user sessions could be manipulated to perform unauthorized actions. Organizations running Invision Power Board 1.3 Final were particularly vulnerable due to the widespread adoption of this platform and the lack of robust input validation in the legacy codebase. The flaw underscores the critical importance of implementing proper output encoding and input validation mechanisms as recommended by the OWASP Top Ten Project, specifically addressing the prevention of XSS vulnerabilities through the use of secure coding practices and proper sanitization of user inputs before they are processed or rendered within web applications.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability required immediate implementation of input validation and output encoding measures. System administrators needed to ensure that all user-supplied input, particularly parameters used in dynamic content generation, was properly sanitized and encoded before being incorporated into web page responses. The recommended approach involved implementing proper HTML entity encoding for all dynamic content and establishing strict input validation rules that would reject or sanitize potentially malicious content before it could be processed by the application. Organizations should have implemented web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious parameter values, while also ensuring that the forum software was updated to a patched version that addressed the specific XSS vulnerability. Additionally, security awareness training for users became crucial to help them recognize potentially malicious content that might be injected through such vulnerabilities, although the primary defense remained in the application's code itself. The vulnerability highlighted the necessity of conducting regular security assessments and code reviews to identify and remediate similar weaknesses in web applications, particularly those handling user-generated content. This flaw also emphasized the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and following secure development practices throughout the software lifecycle, as the vulnerability was a direct result of inadequate input validation and output encoding in the application's core functionality.