CVE-2005-2776 in Looking Glass
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Looking Glass 20040427 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) version[fullname], (2) version[homepage], or (3) version[no] parameter to footer.php, or the (4) version[fullname], (5) version[no], (6) version[author], (7) version[email] parameter to header.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/09/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-2776 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness affecting the Looking Glass 20040427 web application. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security flaws. The vulnerability specifically impacts two core PHP files within the application's architecture, namely footer.php and header.php, making it particularly concerning as these files likely serve as fundamental components in the application's user interface rendering process. The attack vector involves remote exploitation through HTTP parameters that are processed by the web application's backend without proper input sanitization or output encoding mechanisms.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's handling of user-supplied input data within specific parameter names that are passed to the vulnerable PHP scripts. The affected parameters include version[fullname], version[homepage], version[no], version[author], and version[email] across both footer.php and header.php files. These parameters are directly incorporated into the web page output without adequate validation or sanitization, creating an environment where malicious actors can inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript code. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects parameters that are likely used in user-facing sections of the application, meaning that any malicious script injected would execute in the context of the victim's browser, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it provides attackers with the capability to execute arbitrary code within users' browsers. When users interact with the vulnerable application, they become unwitting participants in executing malicious scripts that can persistently compromise their browsing sessions. This type of vulnerability enables attackers to perform actions such as stealing cookies, modifying page content, redirecting users to phishing sites, or even leveraging the compromised sessions to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of the authenticated users. The vulnerability affects the application's integrity and confidentiality, potentially leading to complete compromise of user sessions and unauthorized access to sensitive data that may be processed through the Looking Glass interface.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's codebase. The most effective remediation involves sanitizing all user-supplied input data before processing or rendering it within web pages, particularly for parameters that are directly incorporated into HTML output. This approach aligns with the ATT&CK framework's mitigation strategies for web application vulnerabilities, specifically targeting the execution of malicious code through input manipulation. Organizations should implement proper parameter validation, utilize secure coding practices such as HTML escaping for dynamic content, and deploy web application firewalls to detect and prevent such injection attacks. Additionally, regular security code reviews and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar issues in other application components, ensuring that the application maintains robust security posture against evolving threat landscapes.