CVE-2005-1388 in SURVIVOR
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in SURVIVOR before 0.9.6 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/08/2018
The CVE-2005-1388 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in the SURVIVOR web application framework prior to version 0.9.6. This vulnerability falls under the category of input validation failures that enable malicious actors to execute arbitrary code within the context of a victim's browser session. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input data that flows into web page content without proper encoding or validation mechanisms. SURVIVOR, being a web application framework, processes user interactions and data inputs that are subsequently rendered in web pages, creating potential attack vectors where malicious scripts can be injected and executed.
The technical nature of this XSS vulnerability stems from the framework's failure to properly escape or filter special characters in user-provided data before rendering it within HTML contexts. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious input that contains script tags or other HTML elements designed to execute code when processed by the victim's browser. The vulnerability's classification as "unknown vectors" indicates that the specific entry points or data handling mechanisms through which the injection occurs were not fully documented in the initial vulnerability report, making it particularly challenging for security teams to implement targeted defenses. This ambiguity in attack vectors often leads to broader exploitation possibilities and increases the difficulty of comprehensive remediation efforts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or session hijacking, as it can enable sophisticated attacks including credential harvesting, privilege escalation, and redirection to malicious sites. When exploited successfully, the XSS vulnerability allows attackers to execute scripts in the victim's browser context, potentially compromising user sessions, stealing sensitive information, or performing actions on behalf of authenticated users. The implications are particularly severe in environments where SURVIVOR is used for applications handling sensitive data, user authentication, or business-critical operations. This vulnerability directly violates security principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten, specifically addressing the second most critical web application security risk related to XSS attacks. The attack surface is broad due to the nature of web frameworks, and the vulnerability could potentially affect multiple applications built on the SURVIVOR platform.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-1388 should prioritize immediate patching of the affected SURVIVOR framework to version 0.9.6 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout their applications, ensuring all user-supplied data is properly sanitized before being rendered in web contexts. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers, proper HTML escaping, and the use of secure coding practices can significantly reduce the risk of exploitation. Security teams should also consider deploying web application firewalls and monitoring systems to detect and prevent suspicious input patterns that may indicate XSS attempts. Additionally, regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the application stack. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter and T1566 for credential access, demonstrating how such flaws can enable broader attack chains. Organizations should also review their incident response procedures to ensure preparedness for potential exploitation of this class of vulnerability, as the long-term impact may extend beyond immediate exploitation to include data breaches and regulatory compliance issues.