CVE-2004-2492 in Groupmax World Wide Web Desktop
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Groupmax World Wide Web (GmaxWWW) Desktop 5, 6, and Desktop for Jichitai 6, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the QUERY parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/19/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2492 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Groupmax World Wide Web (GmaxWWW) Desktop versions 5, 6, and the Jichitai 6 variant. This security weakness resides in the application's handling of user input through the QUERY parameter, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute unauthorized code within the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability falls under the broader category of injection attacks and specifically aligns with CWE-79 which defines improper neutralization of input during web output rendering. This weakness enables attackers to inject malicious scripts that can persistently affect users interacting with the compromised web application.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when the application fails to properly sanitize or encode user-supplied input before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages. When a user submits a query parameter containing malicious script code, the web application processes this input without adequate validation or encoding mechanisms. The absence of proper input filtering allows the injected script to execute within the victim's browser session, potentially compromising user data, session integrity, and overall application security. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it fundamentally undermines the trust model of web applications and can lead to significant security breaches. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform session hijacking, deface web pages, redirect users to phishing sites, or harvest sensitive information from user sessions. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of the Groupmax WWW application, indicating a systemic flaw in the input handling mechanisms rather than a isolated incident. This widespread impact across different versions suggests that the underlying architectural weakness was not properly addressed during development cycles, potentially exposing numerous installations to similar risks. The vulnerability's remote nature means attackers can exploit it without requiring local system access, making it particularly dangerous for web-based applications.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The primary defense involves sanitizing all user-provided input through proper encoding techniques such as HTML entity encoding, JavaScript encoding, and proper parameter validation. Implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can provide additional protection against script execution, while input validation should enforce strict whitelisting of acceptable characters and patterns. The application should also implement proper output encoding for all dynamic content, ensuring that any user-supplied data is treated as potentially malicious. Security measures should include regular security assessments, code reviews focusing on input handling, and ensuring that all web applications follow secure coding practices as outlined in OWASP Top Ten and similar industry standards. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring systems to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The remediation process requires thorough testing of all input parameters and ensuring that the application properly handles edge cases and malformed input without compromising functionality.