CVE-2005-3758 in Mini Search Appliance
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Google Mini Search Appliance, and possibly Google Search Appliance, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary Javascript, and possibly other web script or HTML, via a proxystylesheet variable that contains a malicious XSLT style sheet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/11/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-3758 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Google Mini Search Appliance and potentially the broader Google Search Appliance product line. This vulnerability resides in the handling of the proxystylesheet parameter within the search appliance's web interface, creating an avenue for remote attackers to execute malicious code through crafted XSLT style sheets. The flaw demonstrates a classic input validation weakness where user-supplied data is not properly sanitized before being rendered in web responses, allowing attackers to inject arbitrary JavaScript and HTML content that executes in the context of other users' browsers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization of the proxystylesheet parameter which is used to specify XSLT transformation stylesheets for customizing search results presentation. When the search appliance processes this parameter without adequate validation, it accepts malicious XSLT content that can contain embedded JavaScript code or other harmful script elements. This creates a persistent XSS vector where the malicious code becomes part of the web application's response and executes whenever affected users view the search results page. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited through web-based attack vectors without requiring any special privileges or authentication.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, potentially enabling attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive user information, redirect users to malicious websites, or even execute arbitrary commands within the context of the victim's browser session. The affected Google Search Appliance products serve enterprise environments where users may have access to sensitive corporate data, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous. Attackers could leverage this flaw to compromise entire corporate search environments, especially in organizations where the search appliance is used for internal document search and access control. The vulnerability affects both authenticated and unauthenticated access scenarios, as the XSS occurs during the rendering of search results rather than requiring specific user privileges.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-3758 should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms for all user-supplied parameters, particularly those used in stylesheet and transformation contexts. Organizations should apply the latest security patches provided by Google and implement web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious XSLT content. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 related to spearphishing attachments and T1212 which covers exploitation for credential access. Regular security assessments and input validation testing should be conducted to prevent similar vulnerabilities in custom web applications and ensure proper sanitization of all dynamic content generation parameters.