CVE-2005-2676 in Photo Gallery
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in displayimage.php in Coppermine Photo Gallery before 1.3.4 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via EXIF data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/08/2019
The CVE-2005-2676 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in the Coppermine Photo Gallery software ecosystem, specifically within the displayimage.php component. This vulnerability emerged in versions prior to 1.3.4 and demonstrates a fundamental weakness in how the application processes and displays EXIF metadata associated with uploaded images. The flaw arises from insufficient input validation and output sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly escape or filter user-supplied EXIF data before rendering it within web pages. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by uploading images containing malicious script code within their EXIF metadata, which then gets executed when other users view these images through the vulnerable gallery interface.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows a classic XSS attack pattern where malicious content is injected into the application's response through user-controlled data. EXIF data, which contains metadata about digital photographs including camera settings, timestamps, and location information, becomes the attack vector when the Coppermine gallery fails to sanitize this information before displaying it. The vulnerability specifically affects the displayimage.php script which handles the rendering of individual images within the gallery, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to compromise user sessions or redirect victims to malicious sites. This flaw falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, representing a well-documented weakness in web application security where untrusted data is directly included in web pages without proper validation or encoding.
The operational impact of CVE-2005-2676 extends beyond simple script injection, potentially enabling attackers to perform session hijacking, deface the gallery, or redirect users to phishing sites. When victims browse the vulnerable gallery, any malicious scripts embedded in EXIF data can execute in their browser context, potentially stealing cookies, session tokens, or other sensitive information. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that many users may unknowingly upload images containing malicious EXIF data, either through automated processes or by unknowingly downloading compromised media from untrusted sources. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through spearphishing attachments, where compromised images serve as delivery mechanisms for malicious payloads.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve immediate patching to Coppermine Photo Gallery version 1.3.4 or later, which includes proper input validation and sanitization of EXIF data. Organizations should implement comprehensive input filtering mechanisms that strip or encode potentially dangerous characters from EXIF metadata before storage or display. Network administrators should consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious script patterns in uploaded content. Additionally, security awareness training for users about the risks of downloading images from untrusted sources can help prevent exploitation. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper security testing throughout the application lifecycle, particularly for file upload and processing components, and demonstrates how seemingly benign metadata can become a critical security risk when not properly handled.