CVE-2005-3025 in vBulletin
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in vBulletin 3.0.7 and earlier allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the loc parameter to (1) modcp/index.php or (2) admincp/index.php, or the ip parameter to (3) modcp/user.php or (4) admincp/usertitle.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/06/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-3025 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting vBulletin versions 3.0.7 and earlier. This vulnerability resides within the forum software's administrative interfaces and moderation tools, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on these platforms for community engagement and user management. The flaw specifically targets parameters within four distinct administrative endpoints, making it particularly dangerous as it affects both moderator control panels and administrator control panels.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding within the vBulletin codebase. Attackers can exploit the loc parameter in modcp/index.php and admincp/index.php, as well as the ip parameter in modcp/user.php and admincp/usertitle.php, to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of authenticated users' browsers. This occurs because the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before rendering it in web responses, allowing attackers to inject HTML content that persists across user sessions. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79 as a failure to sanitize user input, which directly enables XSS attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with potential access to sensitive administrative functions and user data. When an authenticated administrator or moderator visits a compromised page, the injected scripts execute with elevated privileges, potentially allowing attackers to modify forum content, manipulate user permissions, or extract sensitive information from the database. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it targets administrative interfaces where users have elevated privileges, making it a prime candidate for privilege escalation attacks. This vulnerability directly maps to attack techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter and T1548.001 for abuse of privileges.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term security improvements. Organizations should immediately upgrade to vBulletin versions that have patched this vulnerability, as the original software versions are no longer supported and contain multiple security flaws. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms can prevent similar issues from occurring in the future. Security measures should include regular security audits, web application firewalls, and comprehensive input sanitization across all user-facing parameters. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper parameter validation in web applications and demonstrates how seemingly minor input handling flaws can create significant security risks when present in administrative interfaces where elevated privileges exist. Organizations should also implement principle of least privilege access controls and regular security training for administrators to reduce the potential impact of such vulnerabilities.