CVE-2005-1962 in Helpdesk
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Cerberus Helpdesk 0.97.3 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) errorcode parameter to index.php or (2) certain fields to clients.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/09/2018
The CVE-2005-1962 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in Cerberus Helpdesk version 0.97.3, a widely used web-based help desk application. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the application's processing of user-supplied data. The flaw specifically affects two primary entry points within the application's web interface, creating multiple attack vectors that adversaries can exploit to execute malicious scripts in the context of authenticated users' browsers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through improper handling of HTTP parameters and form fields that are processed by the application's backend. When the errorcode parameter is passed to index.php or when certain fields are submitted to clients.php, the application fails to adequately sanitize these inputs before incorporating them into dynamic web content. This lack of input sanitization creates an environment where malicious actors can inject arbitrary JavaScript code, HTML tags, or other malicious content that gets executed in the victim's browser when the affected page is rendered. The vulnerability specifically aligns with CWE-79, which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a weakness where untrusted data is incorporated into web pages without proper validation or escaping mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable sophisticated attack scenarios including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability can craft malicious URLs containing script payloads that, when clicked by an authenticated user, execute in the user's browser context with the same privileges as the legitimate user. This creates a significant risk for organizations using the affected help desk system, as attackers could potentially escalate privileges, access sensitive customer data, or compromise the entire help desk application environment. The vulnerability particularly affects the confidentiality and integrity aspects of the CIA triad, as it allows unauthorized data access and manipulation through the web interface.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. Organizations should immediately apply the vendor-provided patches or upgrade to a newer version of Cerberus Helpdesk that addresses this vulnerability. Additionally, implementing proper parameter validation and sanitization for all user inputs, combined with output encoding for dynamic content generation, will prevent similar issues from occurring. Security measures should include input filtering that removes or encodes dangerous characters such as angle brackets, script tags, and other HTML/JavaScript elements. The remediation approach should follow established security frameworks including the OWASP Top Ten guidelines for preventing XSS vulnerabilities and implementing proper web application security controls. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls and security monitoring can provide additional defense-in-depth layers, though they should not replace proper application-level input validation. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other components of the help desk system or related applications.