CVE-2005-1113 in PhpBB Plus
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in PhpBB Plus 1.52 and earlier allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the bsid parameter to (1) groupcp.php, (2) index.php, (3) portal.php, (4) viewforum.php, or (5) viewtopic.php, (6) the c parameter to index.php, or (7) the article parameter to portal.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/02/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-1113 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting PhpBB Plus versions 1.52 and earlier, demonstrating a fundamental weakness in input validation and output encoding practices within web applications. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security flaws identified by the Common Weakness Enumeration. The vulnerability specifically affects multiple core phpBB Plus scripts including groupcp.php, index.php, portal.php, viewforum.php, and viewtopic.php, indicating a systemic issue in how user input is handled across the application's functionality.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of specific HTTP parameters that are not properly sanitized or validated before being rendered in web pages. Attackers can inject malicious scripts or HTML code through the bsid parameter in several files including groupcp.php, index.php, portal.php, viewforum.php, and viewtopic.php, while also targeting the c parameter in index.php and the article parameter in portal.php. This wide attack surface suggests that the application's developers failed to implement consistent input validation mechanisms across all entry points where user-provided data is processed and displayed. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary web scripts in the context of victims' browsers, potentially enabling session hijacking, data theft, or redirection to malicious sites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it can be exploited by remote attackers without requiring any special privileges or authentication. Once exploited, the XSS attack can compromise user sessions, steal sensitive information, manipulate application data, or redirect users to phishing sites. The widespread nature of the vulnerability across multiple PHP files within the application architecture indicates a fundamental flaw in the application's security design rather than isolated code issues. This type of vulnerability directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of web applications, as demonstrated by the ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, which describes how attackers can use XSS to execute malicious scripts in victims' browsers.
Organizations and developers should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent such vulnerabilities from occurring. The recommended mitigations include implementing strict parameter validation for all user inputs, employing proper HTML escaping techniques when rendering dynamic content, and utilizing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit script execution. Additionally, regular security code reviews and automated vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify and remediate similar issues. The vulnerability highlights the importance of following secure coding practices as outlined in OWASP Top Ten and the need for continuous security testing throughout the software development lifecycle. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring systems to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The remediation process requires updating to patched versions of PhpBB Plus or implementing proper input sanitization measures across all affected scripts to prevent malicious code injection attacks.