CVE-2005-0885 in XMB
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in XMB Forum 1.9.1 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) Mood or (2) "Send To" fields.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/31/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-0885 represents a critical security flaw in XMB Forum version 1.9.1 that exposes the platform to cross-site scripting attacks. This issue affects the forum's handling of user input in two specific fields: the Mood field and the Send To field, creating potential entry points for malicious actors to execute unauthorized scripts within the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization mechanisms within the forum's codebase, allowing attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code that can be executed when other users view affected content.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws in software applications. This weakness occurs when an application incorporates untrusted data into web pages without proper validation or encoding, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate the application's behavior. The XSS vulnerability in XMB Forum operates through the injection of malicious scripts into the Mood field or Send To field, where user-supplied content is directly rendered without adequate sanitization measures. Attackers can leverage this flaw to execute scripts in the victim's browser context, potentially stealing session cookies, defacing content, or redirecting users to malicious websites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption or content manipulation. When exploited, these XSS flaws can enable attackers to perform session hijacking attacks, where stolen authentication tokens allow unauthorized access to user accounts. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for phishing attacks, as malicious scripts can be used to create convincing fake login forms or manipulate the forum interface to deceive users. Additionally, the attack surface is particularly concerning for community forums like XMB, where user-generated content is prevalent and trust levels are high, making successful exploitation more likely to go undetected.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms across all user-facing fields within the forum application. The recommended approach involves sanitizing all user input before storage and properly encoding output data when rendered in web pages. Organizations should implement Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution and establish proper input validation routines that reject or escape potentially dangerous characters. The solution must address both the Mood field and Send To field vulnerabilities specifically, ensuring that any data entered into these fields undergoes strict validation before being stored or displayed. Security patches should be applied immediately, and the forum should be configured to enforce strict character encoding standards to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future versions. This remediation aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which describes social engineering tactics that can be enhanced through XSS vulnerabilities to manipulate user behavior and compromise security controls.