CVE-2005-2318 in DVBBS
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in showerr.asp in DVBBS 7.1 SP2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the action parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/26/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-2318 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the DVBBS 7.1 SP2 content management system, specifically affecting the showerr.asp component. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category, which defines improper neutralization of input during web page generation as a fundamental weakness in web application security. The flaw manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input passed through the action parameter, creating an exploitable condition that allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML code into the application's response.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the showerr.asp script where the action parameter is directly incorporated into the web page output without adequate input validation or output encoding. When a user submits a request containing malicious script code within the action parameter, the web application processes this input and reflects it back to the user's browser without proper sanitization. This creates a persistent XSS vector that can be exploited by attackers who craft malicious URLs containing script payloads designed to execute in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability is classified as a reflected XSS attack since the malicious script is reflected back to users through the vulnerable application's response.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and redirection to malicious websites. An attacker could craft a payload that steals session cookies from authenticated users, potentially gaining unauthorized access to administrative functions or user accounts. The vulnerability affects all users of the DVBBS 7.1 SP2 system who encounter the error page generated by showerr.asp, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered through normal application error conditions. This makes the attack surface quite broad since users may inadvertently trigger error conditions that expose the XSS vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-2318 should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding techniques as recommended by the OWASP Top Ten project and the ATT&CK framework's defensive techniques. The primary remediation involves sanitizing all user inputs through proper validation routines that strip or encode potentially dangerous characters such as angle brackets, script tags, and JavaScript protocols. Implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection by restricting script execution within the application's context. Organizations should also consider implementing proper error handling mechanisms that prevent sensitive information from being displayed to end users, thereby reducing the attack surface. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input sanitization and output encoding practices as outlined in the CWE-116 standard for secure coding practices. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in legacy systems, as the DVBBS platform represents an older technology stack that may contain additional unpatched security flaws.