CVE-2005-0928 in PHP Pro
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in PhotoPost PHP Pro 5.x allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) cat, (2) password, (3) ppuser, (4) sort, or (5) si parameters to showgallery.php, the (6) ppuser, (7) sort, or (8) si parameters to showmembers.php, or (9) the photo parameter to slideshow.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-0928 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting PhotoPost PHP Pro version 5.x, a popular web-based photo gallery management system. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that allows attackers to inject malicious client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability specifically targets multiple parameters across three distinct PHP scripts within the application, making it particularly dangerous as it provides multiple attack vectors for exploitation.
The technical flaw manifests through improper input validation and output encoding within the PhotoPost PHP Pro application. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by injecting malicious scripts through several parameters including cat, password, ppuser, sort, and si parameters in showgallery.php, ppuser, sort, and si parameters in showmembers.php, and the photo parameter in slideshow.php. These parameters are not properly sanitized or escaped before being rendered in web responses, allowing malicious code to execute in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects core functionality parameters that are commonly used in normal application operation, making it difficult to distinguish between legitimate and malicious input.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables remote attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, defacement of the photo gallery, and redirection to malicious websites. An attacker could inject scripts that steal user authentication cookies, redirect victims to phishing sites, or inject malicious content that modifies the gallery's appearance and functionality. The vulnerability affects the entire user base of the PhotoPost PHP Pro application, potentially compromising all users who interact with the vulnerable gallery. Given that photo galleries often contain personal and sensitive content, the potential for data exposure and privacy violations is significant.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. The primary remediation involves sanitizing all user-supplied input parameters before processing or displaying them in web responses, implementing proper HTML escaping for dynamic content, and adopting a whitelist approach for parameter validation. Organizations should also implement Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution and prevent unauthorized code injection. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 for "Modify Application Configuration" and T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript" as it allows attackers to execute malicious JavaScript code through web application interfaces. Regular security audits, input validation testing, and maintaining up-to-date security patches are essential for preventing similar vulnerabilities in web applications. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input sanitization and output encoding practices in preventing XSS attacks, which remain one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security threats identified in the OWASP Top Ten security risks.