CVE-2005-2736 in YaPig
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in YaPig 0.95 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via EXIF data, such as the Camera Model Tag.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/08/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-2736 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw that existed within the YaPig photo gallery application version 0.95 and earlier. This security weakness specifically manifests when the application processes EXIF metadata embedded within image files, particularly the Camera Model Tag field. The flaw arises from inadequate input validation and output sanitization mechanisms within the application's image processing pipeline, creating an attack vector that allows remote threat actors to execute malicious scripts in the context of other users' browsers.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of EXIF data within image files that are subsequently uploaded and processed by the YaPig application. When the system parses the Camera Model Tag or other EXIF fields without proper sanitization, it fails to escape or filter special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code. This oversight creates a persistent XSS vulnerability where attacker-controlled data flows directly into the web application's output, enabling malicious script execution when other users view the affected images. The vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses improper neutralization of input during web page generation, making it a direct implementation of this well-known weakness category.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and redirection to phishing sites. When users browse galleries containing compromised images, their browsers execute the injected scripts within the context of the vulnerable application's domain, bypassing typical security restrictions. This allows attackers to access session cookies, modify page content, or redirect users to malicious domains, effectively compromising the security of all users interacting with the vulnerable photo gallery. The attack requires minimal sophistication as it only necessitates uploading specially crafted image files with malicious EXIF data, making it particularly dangerous for applications that automatically process and display EXIF information.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability involve implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's image processing workflow. The primary defense strategy requires sanitizing all EXIF data fields before rendering them in web pages, specifically implementing proper HTML entity encoding for any data that will be displayed to end users. Additionally, the application should employ Content Security Policy headers to restrict script execution and prevent unauthorized code injection. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to technique T1059.007 for scripting languages and T1566 for spearphishing attachments, as it enables attackers to deliver malicious payloads through image files. Organizations should also implement regular security updates and consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious EXIF data patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of validating all user-supplied data, including metadata, and implementing defense-in-depth strategies that protect against various attack vectors within web applications.