CVE-2005-2042 in ajax-spell
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in ajax-spell before 1.8 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via onmouseover or other events in HTML tags.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/09/2018
The CVE-2005-2042 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw in the ajax-spell spell-checking component prior to version 1.8. This vulnerability resides in the improper handling of user-supplied input within HTML event attributes, specifically targeting the onmouseover and similar event handlers that are commonly used in web applications. The vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization and validation of input data before it is rendered back to users within HTML contexts, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary scripts in the victim's browser session.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the fundamental weakness in HTML rendering where event attributes such as onmouseover, onclick, and other JavaScript event handlers are processed without proper input filtering. When the ajax-spell component processes user input and incorporates it into HTML tags without appropriate escaping or sanitization, attackers can embed malicious JavaScript code within these event handlers. This occurs because the application fails to properly escape special characters and HTML metacharacters that would normally prevent script execution when rendered in a browser context, allowing attackers to inject payloads that execute when users interact with the vulnerable content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration. When users encounter pages containing the maliciously injected XSS payloads, their browsers execute the embedded scripts with the privileges of the logged-in user, potentially leading to complete account compromise. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the client-side rendering level where user interactions trigger script execution, making it difficult to detect and prevent through traditional network-level security measures. This type of vulnerability is classified under CWE-79 as Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which specifically addresses the failure to properly escape output in web applications.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-2042 require implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application stack. Organizations should deploy proper HTML escaping routines that encode special characters such as angle brackets, quotes, and script tags before rendering user-supplied content. The recommended approach involves implementing Content Security Policy headers to restrict script execution and employing proper input sanitization libraries that can handle various encoding contexts including HTML, JavaScript, and URL contexts. Additionally, upgrading to version 1.8 or later of the ajax-spell component resolves the vulnerability through proper input validation and sanitization. Security measures should also include regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the web application stack, as this type of vulnerability often indicates broader input handling weaknesses that may affect other parts of the system. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1566 as "Phishing with Social Engineering" and T1059 as "Command and Scripting Interpreter" since attackers can leverage it to deliver malicious payloads and execute commands through compromised user sessions.