CVE-2005-3083 in CMS Made Simple
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in index.php in CMS Made Simple 0.10 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the page parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/26/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-3083 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the CMS Made Simple content management system version 0.10. This security weakness resides in the index.php script and specifically affects how the application processes the page parameter, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of victim users' browsers. The vulnerability classifies under CWE-79 which denotes improper neutralization of input during web page generation, making it a fundamental web application security issue that has plagued software development for decades. The flaw demonstrates a critical failure in input validation and output encoding practices that are essential for preventing malicious code injection attacks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when CMS Made Simple fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied input from the page parameter before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious URLs containing script tags or other HTML content within the page parameter value, which gets executed when legitimate users browse to affected pages. This type of injection allows attackers to steal session cookies, deface websites, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires no special privileges to exploit, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by anyone with knowledge of the target system's URL structure. The attack vector aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers social engineering through malicious content delivery.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable more sophisticated attacks such as credential theft, session hijacking, and persistent malware delivery. When users browse to compromised pages, their browsers execute the injected malicious code in the context of the vulnerable CMS, potentially allowing attackers to access sensitive information or perform unauthorized actions. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of the web application, as it can be used to manipulate the content displayed to users or redirect them to phishing sites. Organizations running CMS Made Simple 0.10 are particularly at risk since this version lacks proper input sanitization mechanisms and output encoding controls that would normally prevent such injection attacks. The vulnerability also demonstrates poor security hygiene in the application's development lifecycle, lacking proper security testing and input validation controls that are standard practices in modern software development.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-3083 should focus on immediate patching of the CMS Made Simple application to a version that includes proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations must implement comprehensive input sanitization that filters or escapes special characters in user-supplied parameters before processing them within the application. The recommended approach includes implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution and using proper output encoding functions that convert special HTML characters into their safe representations. Additionally, administrators should conduct regular security assessments and implement web application firewalls to detect and prevent malicious input patterns. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date software versions and following secure coding practices that prevent injection flaws, as outlined in OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity guidelines. Organizations should also establish proper security training for developers to ensure input validation and output encoding are consistently applied throughout the application development lifecycle.