CVE-2005-3237 in Cyphor
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Cyphor 0.19 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the t_login parameter of footer.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/07/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-3237 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Cyphor 0.19 web application framework. This security weakness resides in the footer.php component where user input from the t_login parameter is not properly sanitized or validated before being rendered back to web browsers. The vulnerability classification aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses improper neutralization of input during web page generation, making it a direct instance of client-side code injection that can be exploited by malicious actors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a failure in input validation and output encoding practices within the Cyphor application. When users provide login credentials through the t_login parameter, the application directly incorporates this data into the page footer without appropriate sanitization measures. This creates an environment where attackers can embed malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of victims. The exploitation requires minimal prerequisites as attackers only need to craft malicious payloads and direct victims to specific URLs containing the crafted input.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to organizations utilizing Cyphor 0.19 as it enables attackers to compromise user sessions and potentially gain unauthorized access to sensitive data. The impact extends beyond simple script injection as the vulnerability can be leveraged to perform more sophisticated attacks such as cookie theft, redirection to malicious sites, or even privilege escalation if the application handles authentication tokens inappropriately. The attack surface is relatively narrow since it specifically targets the footer.php component, but the consequences can be severe given that login functionality is typically a critical entry point for web applications. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which involves modifying or hijacking authentication tokens, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to maintain persistent access through stolen session data.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should immediately patch the Cyphor application to a version that properly sanitizes user input before rendering it in web pages. The recommended approach involves employing context-appropriate encoding for all dynamic content, particularly when incorporating user-supplied data into HTML contexts. Additionally, implementing a Content Security Policy (CSP) can provide an additional layer of protection by restricting script execution and preventing unauthorized code injection. Security best practices dictate that all user input should be validated against whitelists of acceptable characters and lengths, while output should be encoded according to the specific context where it will be rendered. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of input validation and output encoding in preventing client-side code injection attacks, with the broader implications extending to the fundamental security principles of defense in depth and secure coding practices.