CVE-2005-3547 in IP.Board
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Invision Power Board 2.1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) adsess, (2) name, and (3) description parameters in admin.php, and the (4) ACP Notes, (5) Member Name, (6) Password, (7) Email Address, (8) Components, and multiple other input fields.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/28/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-3547 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Invision Power Board version 2.1, a widely used web forum software platform. This vulnerability exposes the application to remote code execution risks through malicious script injection attacks that can compromise user sessions and data integrity. The flaw specifically affects the administrative interface where multiple input parameters lack proper sanitization mechanisms, creating persistent entry points for attackers to execute malicious code within the context of legitimate user sessions.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through several distinct parameter vectors within the admin.php script and various administrative input fields. Attackers can manipulate the adsess, name, and description parameters to inject malicious scripts that execute when administrators view the affected pages. Additionally, the vulnerability extends to ACP Notes, Member Name, Password, Email Address, Components, and numerous other input fields, creating multiple attack surfaces that can be leveraged to establish persistent malicious presence within the forum environment. These parameters typically handle user-submitted content without adequate input validation or output encoding, allowing attackers to bypass security controls that would normally prevent script execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, potentially enabling attackers to hijack administrative sessions, modify forum content, steal user credentials, and manipulate forum configurations. When administrators interact with maliciously crafted input fields, their browsers execute the injected scripts, which can capture session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform unauthorized administrative actions. The vulnerability's persistence stems from the lack of proper input sanitization at multiple points within the administrative interface, allowing attackers to establish backdoors that remain active until the vulnerable application is patched or the malicious content is manually removed.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as a classic example of CWE-79 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which falls under the broader category of web application security flaws. The vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, demonstrating how attackers can leverage web-based scripting languages to maintain persistence and execute malicious commands within compromised environments. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation, output encoding, and regular security assessments to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability. The remediation strategy must focus on sanitizing all user inputs before processing and implementing proper context-aware output encoding to prevent script execution in web contexts.