CVE-2005-1597 in IP.Board
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in (1) search.php and (2) topics.php for Invision Power Board (IPB) 2.0.3 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the highlite parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/28/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-1597 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Invision Power Board versions 2.0.3 and earlier. This security weakness resides in two key script files: search.php and topics.php within the IPB platform. The vulnerability specifically exploits the highlite parameter which is used to emphasize search results or topic headings, creating a pathway for malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML code into the application's output. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly escape or filter user-supplied data before rendering it within the web page context. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that has been consistently identified as one of the most prevalent threats to web applications since the early days of the internet.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it provides attackers with the capability to execute malicious scripts in the context of authenticated users' browsers. When a victim visits a compromised page containing the malicious payload, the injected script can perform actions such as stealing session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, modifying page content, or even executing arbitrary commands if the victim has administrative privileges. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires no special privileges from the attacker beyond the ability to craft malicious URLs with the highlite parameter, making it accessible to even novice exploiters. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of the IPB platform's search and topic browsing features, which are fundamental to user interaction, thereby potentially compromising the entire user base of affected installations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both the immediate remediation needs and long-term architectural improvements to prevent similar issues. The primary solution involves implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms that sanitize all user-supplied parameters before they are processed or displayed. This includes escaping special HTML characters such as <, >, &, ", and ' to prevent script execution when rendering content. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to add an additional layer of protection against script injection attacks. From a defensive standpoint, the vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation and output encoding practices that align with OWASP Top Ten security guidelines and the ATT&CK framework's mitigation strategies for web application attacks. System administrators should immediately upgrade to patched versions of IPB, as the vulnerability was addressed in subsequent releases that properly implemented proper sanitization of the highlite parameter and other user inputs. Additionally, regular security testing including automated vulnerability scanning and manual penetration testing should be conducted to identify and remediate similar weaknesses in web applications. The remediation process should also include comprehensive security training for developers to understand secure coding practices and prevent the introduction of similar vulnerabilities in future code developments.