CVE-2005-2044 in ATutor
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in ATutor 1.4.3 and 1.5 RC 1 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) show_course parameter to browse.php, (2) subject parameter to contact.php, (3) cid parameter to content.php, (4) l parameter to inbox/send_message.php, the (5) search, (6) words, (7) include, (8) find_in, (9) display_as, or (10) search parameter to search.php, the (11) submit, (12) query, or (13) field parameter to tile.php, the (14) us parameter to forum/subscribe_forum.php, or the (15) roles[], (16) status, (17) submit, or (18) reset_filter parameters to directory.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/18/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-2044 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness affecting ATutor versions 1.4.3 and 1.5 RC 1. This flaw resides in the web application's failure to properly sanitize user input parameters before processing and rendering them within web pages. The vulnerability manifests across multiple entry points within the application's codebase, specifically targeting parameters in various php files including browse.php, contact.php, content.php, inbox/send_message.php, search.php, tile.php, forum/subscribe_forum.php, and directory.php. These parameters include show_course, subject, cid, l, search, words, include, find_in, display_as, submit, query, field, us, roles[], status, and reset_filter among others. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79, which categorizes cross-site scripting flaws as weaknesses in input validation and output encoding. From an operational perspective this vulnerability creates significant risk as remote attackers can inject malicious scripts or HTML code that executes in the context of other users' browsers. The attack vector allows threat actors to exploit these parameters through HTTP GET or POST requests, potentially enabling session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The impact extends beyond simple data theft as these vulnerabilities can be leveraged for privilege escalation or to establish persistent backdoors within the application environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization practices within the ATutor application. When user-supplied data is directly incorporated into web page content without proper encoding or filtering, malicious payloads can be executed in the victim's browser context. The vulnerability affects multiple parameters across different modules, indicating a systemic issue in the application's security architecture rather than isolated code flaws. This pattern of multiple vulnerable entry points suggests that the development team failed to implement consistent security controls across the entire application framework. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under T1566, which involves the exploitation of vulnerabilities to gain initial access or execute malicious code. The specific attack scenario involves an attacker crafting malicious URLs or form submissions containing script tags that are then processed by the vulnerable application and stored or rendered in web pages accessed by other users. This creates a chain reaction where compromised users unknowingly execute the attacker's malicious code, potentially leading to complete account takeovers or data exfiltration.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate attention through comprehensive input validation and output encoding implementations. The primary remediation involves implementing strict parameter validation across all affected endpoints, ensuring that user input is properly sanitized before being processed or displayed. Security measures should include the implementation of Content Security Policy headers to prevent unauthorized script execution, along with proper HTML encoding of all dynamic content. The application should enforce proper input length limits and character set restrictions to prevent buffer overflow attacks. Organizations should also implement regular security audits and penetration testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components. Additionally, the development team should establish secure coding practices and conduct regular security training to prevent similar issues in future releases. The vulnerability serves as a critical reminder of the importance of input validation and output encoding in web applications, particularly in educational platforms where user-generated content is common. Regular updates and patches should be implemented immediately, and administrators should monitor for any signs of exploitation attempts in web server logs and application monitoring systems. The remediation process should also include reviewing all other parameters within the application for similar vulnerabilities and implementing a comprehensive security testing framework to prevent regression of such flaws in future versions.