CVE-2005-0317 in WebAdmin
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in useredit_account.wdm in Alt-N WebAdmin 3.0.4 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the user parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/29/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-0317 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Alt-N WebAdmin 3.0.4 software suite, specifically affecting the useredit_account.wdm component. This issue arises from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before incorporating it into web responses. The affected parameter named 'user' serves as the primary injection vector, allowing malicious actors to craft specially formatted payloads that can be executed within the context of other users' browsers when they interact with the vulnerable application interface.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which categorizes cross-site scripting as a code injection flaw where untrusted data is embedded into web pages without proper sanitization. The flaw occurs at the application layer where user input flows directly into HTTP responses without appropriate encoding or filtering mechanisms. Attackers can exploit this by submitting malicious scripts through the user parameter, which then gets rendered in the web interface and executed in the browsers of unsuspecting victims. This type of vulnerability enables attackers to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive information, deface web applications, or redirect users to malicious sites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it provides attackers with persistent access to the compromised user accounts and potentially the entire administrative interface. When executed successfully, the XSS payload can capture cookies, session tokens, or other sensitive data transmitted between the victim's browser and the WebAdmin server. The attack requires minimal privileges and can be executed remotely, making it particularly dangerous for administrative interfaces that handle sensitive user account management functions. This vulnerability essentially undermines the integrity of the authentication and authorization mechanisms within the WebAdmin application.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-0317 should prioritize immediate input validation and output encoding implementation across all user-facing parameters within the WebAdmin interface. Organizations should implement comprehensive sanitization routines that escape special HTML characters and validate all user inputs against whitelisted character sets before processing. The recommended approach includes deploying proper HTML encoding functions for all dynamic content, implementing Content Security Policy headers to restrict script execution, and ensuring that all user-supplied data undergoes rigorous validation before being incorporated into web responses. Additionally, the affected Alt-N WebAdmin version should be upgraded to a patched release that addresses the input validation deficiencies, as this represents the most effective long-term solution to prevent exploitation of this specific vulnerability. The remediation efforts should also include regular security assessments of web applications to identify and address similar input validation flaws that may exist in other components of the system.