CVE-2004-2293 in PHP-Nuke
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in PHP-Nuke 6.0 to 7.3 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) eid parameter or (2) query parameter to the Encyclopedia module, (3) preview_review function in the Reviews module as demonstrated by the url, cover, rlanguage, and hits parameters, or (4) savecomment function in the Reviews module, as demonstrated using the uname parameter. NOTE: the Faq/categories and Encyclopedia/ltr issues are already covered by CVE-2005-1023.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/11/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2004-2293 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness affecting PHP-Nuke versions 6.0 through 7.3, specifically targeting the Encyclopedia and Reviews modules. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security flaws identified by the CWE organization. The flaw allows remote attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users, creating a significant risk for data theft, session hijacking, and defacement of web properties. The vulnerability operates by failing to properly sanitize user input parameters before rendering them in web responses, enabling attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of other users' browsers.
The technical exploitation occurs through multiple vectors within the PHP-Nuke application's module structure. The first attack vector involves the eid parameter in the Encyclopedia module, where unvalidated input allows malicious script injection. The second vector targets the query parameter in the same module, while the third and fourth vectors involve the preview_review function in the Reviews module with parameters including url, cover, rlanguage, and hits, as well as the savecomment function with the uname parameter. These specific parameters represent common injection points where user-supplied data flows directly into HTML output without proper sanitization or encoding. The vulnerability demonstrates how web applications can fail to implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms, creating persistent security risks across multiple functional modules.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution to encompass significant security risks for organizations utilizing PHP-Nuke platforms. Attackers can leverage these XSS flaws to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, modify page content, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The persistence of these vulnerabilities across multiple versions of PHP-Nuke (6.0 through 7.3) indicates a fundamental flaw in the application's input handling architecture that was not adequately addressed through patch cycles. This type of vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for Initial Access through Web Protocols and T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter for JavaScript, representing both the attack surface and execution methods available to threat actors. The vulnerability's presence in core modules like Encyclopedia and Reviews suggests that any user interaction with these features could potentially serve as an attack vector.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including comprehensive input validation, output encoding, and proper parameter sanitization across all affected modules. The recommended approach involves implementing strict whitelisting of acceptable input values, encoding all dynamic content before rendering, and establishing robust parameter validation routines. Security professionals should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution capabilities and deploy web application firewalls to detect and block malicious payloads. The vulnerability highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to OWASP Top Ten security guidelines, particularly those related to input validation and output encoding. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar patterns of insecure parameter handling that could lead to other XSS vulnerabilities in the application's architecture.