CVE-2005-2430 in GForge
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in GForge 4.5 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) forum_id or (2) group_id parameter to forum.php, (3) project_task_id parameter to task.php, (4) id parameter to detail.php, (5) the text field on the search page, (6) group_id parameter to qrs.php, (7) form, (8) rows, (9) cols or (10) wrap parameter to notepad.php, or the login field on the login form.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/11/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-2430 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting GForge version 4.5, a collaborative software development platform designed for managing projects and development workflows. This vulnerability exposes multiple entry points within the application's web interface where malicious actors can inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript code, potentially compromising user sessions and data integrity. The vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, making it a well-documented and severe class of web application security flaw that has been consistently flagged by security researchers and standards organizations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within GForge's web application framework. Attackers can exploit this weakness by manipulating various parameters across different PHP scripts including forum.php, task.php, detail.php, qrs.php, and notepad.php, as well as through the search functionality and login form. The specific parameters targeted include forum_id, group_id, project_task_id, id, text field, form, rows, cols, wrap, and login field, each representing different attack vectors that bypass the application's security controls. This widespread exposure indicates a fundamental flaw in the application's data sanitization processes rather than isolated incidents, suggesting that the platform's security architecture failed to properly validate or escape user-supplied input across its entire interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data corruption or display issues, as it enables attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of authenticated user sessions. This capability allows for session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and potential privilege escalation within the application environment. An attacker could craft malicious payloads that redirect users to phishing sites, steal session cookies, or modify project data, potentially compromising the integrity of collaborative development environments. The vulnerability particularly affects users who maintain administrative privileges or have access to sensitive project information, as successful exploitation could lead to complete system compromise. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1531 (Establishment of Command and Control) and T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS) through potential redirection attacks and data exfiltration techniques.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-2430 should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms across all user-facing application parameters. Organizations should immediately apply the vendor-provided security patches or upgrade to a supported version of GForge that addresses these vulnerabilities. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers, proper HTML entity encoding for all dynamic content, and thorough parameter validation should be enforced throughout the application. Additionally, regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components, particularly focusing on areas where user input is processed and rendered without proper sanitization. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious patterns in web traffic that might indicate exploitation attempts, and user access controls should be reviewed to minimize the impact of potential compromise. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices and the necessity of implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect collaborative development platforms from persistent threats.