CVE-2005-0462 in MercuryBoard
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in MercuryBoard 1.0.x and 1.1.x allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary HTML and web script via the f parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/06/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-0462 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within MercuryBoard versions 1.0.x and 1.1.x, constituting a fundamental security weakness that enables remote attackers to execute malicious code within the context of affected user sessions. This vulnerability specifically targets the handling of user input through the f parameter, which serves as an entry point for malicious actors to inject arbitrary HTML and web scripts into the application's response. The flaw resides in the application's failure to properly sanitize or validate user-supplied input before rendering it within web pages, creating an environment where attacker-controlled content can be executed by unsuspecting users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic XSS attack vector where the f parameter acts as the primary injection point for malicious payloads. When MercuryBoard processes user input through this parameter without adequate sanitization, it directly incorporates the unfiltered data into the HTML response sent to clients. This behavior violates fundamental security principles of input validation and output encoding, creating a persistent threat that can be exploited across multiple user sessions. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple script execution, as it can potentially enable session hijacking, credential theft, and the delivery of malicious content that appears to originate from legitimate sources within the MercuryBoard application.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations utilizing MercuryBoard for forum or community platform services. The remote exploitation capability means attackers can target users from any location without requiring local access or privileged credentials, making it particularly dangerous for widely-used community platforms. The injected scripts can perform actions such as stealing cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, or modifying the content displayed to users. This vulnerability directly aligns with CWE-79, which defines the weakness of cross-site scripting in web applications, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious web content. The impact on user trust and platform integrity can be severe, as compromised users may unknowingly become vectors for further attacks within their networks.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied parameters, particularly the f parameter in this case. The recommended approach involves sanitizing all input through proper encoding mechanisms such as HTML entity encoding before rendering any user-provided content. Additionally, implementing a Content Security Policy (CSP) header can provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts can be executed. Security patches should be applied immediately to upgrade to versions of MercuryBoard that address this vulnerability, as the affected versions represent legacy software that no longer receives security updates. The remediation process should also include comprehensive code review to identify other potential injection points and ensure that all user input is properly validated and sanitized according to established security best practices.