CVE-2005-3090 in Mantis
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in bug_actiongroup_page.php in Mantis 0.19.0a1 through 1.0.0a3 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the summary of the bug, which is not quoted when view_all_bug_page.php is used to delete the bug, as identified by bug#0006002, a different vulnerability than CVE-2005-2557.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/19/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-3090 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Mantis bug tracking system version 0.19.0a1 through 1.0.0a3. This security weakness specifically manifests in the interaction between two PHP files: bug_actiongroup_page.php and view_all_bug_page.php. The vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious summary field for a bug report that contains embedded script code. The flaw lies in the improper handling of user input where the summary field value is not properly escaped or quoted when rendered in the delete confirmation context, creating an avenue for persistent XSS attacks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization practices within the Mantis application framework. When a user views bug records through the view_all_bug_page.php interface and attempts to delete a bug, the system fails to properly quote or escape the summary field content before displaying it in the delete confirmation prompt. This creates a scenario where malicious JavaScript code embedded within the summary field can execute in the context of other users' browsers who view the delete confirmation page. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it leverages the legitimate delete functionality of the application to deliver malicious payloads, making it difficult to distinguish between legitimate and malicious content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and redirection to malicious sites. Attackers can craft bug summaries containing malicious scripts that execute when other users view the delete confirmation page, potentially compromising user sessions and accessing sensitive information. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of the bug tracking system and can undermine the trust users place in the application's security mechanisms. This flaw particularly impacts organizations relying on Mantis for issue tracking, as it can be exploited to compromise the integrity of their bug reporting environment.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms throughout the application. The recommended approach involves ensuring that all user-supplied data, particularly fields that may be rendered in HTML contexts, undergo proper HTML entity encoding before display. This follows the fundamental principle of defensive programming and aligns with CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting vulnerabilities. Organizations should also implement Content Security Policy headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts and consider using web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious input patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation at multiple layers and the necessity of following secure coding practices to prevent injection attacks. This issue is related to ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers social engineering through malicious content delivery, making it a critical concern for organizations maintaining web applications that process user-generated content.