CVE-2005-2167 in Plague News System
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in index.php in Plague News System 0.6 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the cid parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/24/2017
The CVE-2005-2167 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw in the Plague News System version 0.6 and earlier, demonstrating a critical weakness in input validation and output encoding practices. This vulnerability specifically affects the index.php script where the cid parameter is processed without proper sanitization, creating an opportunity for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly validate and encode user-supplied input before incorporating it into dynamic web page content, which directly violates fundamental web security principles and industry best practices.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious URL containing a specially crafted cid parameter value that includes script tags or HTML code. When a victim navigates to this malicious link, the Plague News System processes the unvalidated cid parameter and reflects the malicious content directly into the web page output. This reflective XSS attack vector operates entirely within the victim's browser context, allowing attackers to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of users, or redirect victims to malicious websites. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires no authentication or privileged access, making it an attractive target for mass exploitation campaigns.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability compromises the integrity and confidentiality of the affected web application and its users. Successful exploitation can lead to session hijacking, where attackers gain unauthorized access to user accounts and potentially escalate privileges within the system. The vulnerability also enables the deployment of malicious payloads that can persistently compromise user browsers, creating long-term security risks for the organization. Additionally, the presence of such vulnerabilities can damage the reputation of the software vendor and the organizations using the affected system, as it demonstrates poor security hygiene and potential data exposure risks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-2167 should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The most effective approach involves sanitizing all user-supplied input parameters before they are processed or rendered in web page content, with particular emphasis on the cid parameter in this case. Implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against script execution, while proper parameter validation should ensure that only expected data types and formats are accepted. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a common pattern that appears in many web applications, making it a critical area for security hardening. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and regular security testing to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in their web applications.
The exploitation of this vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly minor input validation gaps can result in significant security breaches, highlighting the importance of defense-in-depth strategies. Security teams should conduct regular vulnerability assessments and code reviews focusing on user input handling, particularly in applications that dynamically generate content based on external parameters. The incident underscores the necessity of following secure coding practices and adhering to established security frameworks that emphasize proper input validation and output encoding as fundamental security controls. Organizations using legacy systems like Plague News System 0.6 should prioritize upgrading to supported versions that incorporate proper security measures or implement compensating controls to protect against this and similar vulnerabilities.