CVE-2005-2393 in CuteNews
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in CuteNews 1.3.6 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via (1) the lastusername parameter to index.php or (2) selected_search_arch parameter to search.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/05/2021
The CVE-2005-2393 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in CuteNews 1.3.6 content management system that exposes web applications to persistent and reflective XSS attacks. This vulnerability exists due to inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the application's parameter handling processes. The flaw specifically affects two distinct entry points within the system's web interface, creating multiple attack vectors that can be exploited by remote malicious actors without requiring authentication or privileged access. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple script injection as it can enable attackers to execute malicious code in the context of victims' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or further exploitation of the compromised user environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly sanitize user-supplied input parameters before incorporating them into dynamic web page content. When the lastusername parameter is submitted to index.php or the selected_search_arch parameter is passed to search.php, the system directly incorporates these values into HTML output without appropriate encoding or validation measures. This creates an environment where attacker-controlled data can be interpreted by web browsers as executable script code rather than benign text content. The vulnerability maps directly to CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and represents a classic example of insecure input handling that violates fundamental web security principles. The flaw demonstrates poor security design practices that fail to implement proper input sanitization and output encoding as recommended by security standards and best practices.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data corruption or display issues. Attackers can leverage this weakness to execute arbitrary scripts in victim browsers, potentially stealing session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, or performing unauthorized actions on behalf of compromised users. The reflected nature of the attack means that victims must be tricked into clicking malicious links or visiting compromised pages, but once executed, the attack can persist and spread through the application's user base. This vulnerability particularly affects web applications that rely heavily on user-generated content or search functionality, as these components often become primary attack vectors. The exploitation can result in complete compromise of user sessions, data exfiltration, and potential lateral movement within network environments where affected systems are deployed, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-2393 should prioritize immediate patching and upgrading of the affected CuteNews installation to a version that addresses the input validation issues. Organizations must implement comprehensive input validation mechanisms that sanitize all user-supplied data before processing or displaying it within web pages. The implementation of proper output encoding techniques, particularly HTML entity encoding, should be enforced for all dynamic content generated by the application. Security measures should include the deployment of web application firewalls and content security policies to provide additional layers of protection against XSS attacks. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components, with particular attention to parameter handling and user input processing. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of following secure coding practices and implementing defense-in-depth strategies that protect against multiple attack vectors as recommended by the ATT&CK framework's web application exploitation techniques.