CVE-2005-3103 in Movable Type
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Movable Type before 3.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) title, (2) category, (3) body, (4) extended body, and (5) excerpt form fields in new blog entries.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/06/2021
The CVE-2005-3103 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in Movable Type blogging platform versions prior to 3.2, exposing web applications to persistent malicious code injection attacks. This vulnerability resides in the core content management functionality of the platform, specifically targeting the five primary form fields used for creating new blog entries. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of other users' browsers, creating a significant security risk for blog administrators and visitors who may inadvertently encounter malicious content.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization within the Movable Type application's content handling mechanisms. When users submit blog entries containing malicious scripts in the title, category, body, extended body, or excerpt fields, the application fails to properly escape or filter these inputs before rendering them in web pages. This allows attackers to inject javascript code, html tags, or other malicious content that executes in the browser context of legitimate users. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and affects the web interface directly, making it particularly dangerous for content management systems that rely heavily on user-generated content.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for organizations using Movable Type platforms, as it enables attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, defacement of web content, and redirection to phishing sites. The impact extends beyond simple data theft to include complete compromise of user sessions and potential propagation of attacks to other systems within the same network environment. The vulnerability's broad scope affects all user-generated content fields, making it particularly dangerous for platforms where multiple users contribute content. According to CWE classification, this represents a classic CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which falls under the category of input validation and output encoding failures.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including T1566.001 for credential access through social engineering and T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter. Attackers can leverage this flaw to establish persistent access to user accounts through session manipulation, or to deface websites with malicious content that propagates to all visitors. The vulnerability also enables man-in-the-middle attacks where malicious scripts can capture user interactions or redirect traffic to malicious domains. Organizations relying on Movable Type platforms face increased risk of data breaches, reputational damage, and potential regulatory compliance violations due to the exposure of user data through these script injection attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-3103 should prioritize immediate patching of the Movable Type platform to version 3.2 or later, which includes proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive input sanitization policies that escape special characters in all user-facing form fields, particularly those that directly influence web page rendering. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against script execution, while regular security audits of web applications should include thorough testing of input validation mechanisms. Network monitoring solutions should be configured to detect suspicious script injection patterns in web traffic, and user education programs should emphasize the importance of avoiding suspicious content from untrusted sources. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper input validation in web applications, as outlined in OWASP Top 10 security requirements for modern web development practices.