CVE-2005-3791 in phpPgAds
Summary
by MITRE
HTTP response splitting vulnerability in phpAdsNew and phpPgAds 2.0.6 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary HTML headers via adclick.php and possibly other unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/13/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-3791 represents a critical HTTP response splitting flaw affecting phpAdsNew and phpPgAds versions 2.0.6 and earlier. This vulnerability resides in the handling of HTTP headers within the adclick.php script and potentially other unspecified components of these advertising platforms. The flaw enables remote attackers to inject malicious HTML headers into HTTP responses, fundamentally compromising the integrity of web communications between clients and servers. Such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they can be exploited to manipulate HTTP responses in ways that bypass normal security controls and user expectations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization within the web application's header processing mechanisms. When user-supplied data is directly incorporated into HTTP headers without proper encoding or validation, attackers can inject malicious content that gets interpreted by web browsers or intermediaries as legitimate HTTP header fields. This occurs because the application fails to properly escape or filter special characters that have meaning in HTTP header contexts, such as carriage return and line feed characters that separate header fields. The vulnerability specifically impacts the adclick.php script, which is responsible for handling advertisement click tracking and redirect functionality, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to manipulate advertising delivery and user redirection.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple header injection, as it provides attackers with capabilities to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, cache poisoning, cross-site scripting attacks, and man-in-the-middle exploitation. An attacker could inject malicious headers to redirect users to phishing sites, inject malicious JavaScript into responses, or manipulate browser caching behavior to serve compromised content. The vulnerability's potential for exploitation is amplified by the widespread use of these advertising platforms, making it a significant threat vector for organizations relying on phpAdsNew or phpPgAds for their advertising infrastructure. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that the vulnerability affects core functionality related to advertisement tracking and delivery, which are critical components of many web applications.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-3791 should focus on immediate patching of affected systems to the latest available versions of phpAdsNew and phpPgAds, which contain proper input validation and sanitization measures. Organizations should implement comprehensive header validation mechanisms that sanitize all user-supplied input before it is incorporated into HTTP headers, following established security practices for preventing HTTP response splitting attacks. The implementation of proper input filtering, including the removal or encoding of special characters that have meaning in HTTP contexts, is essential. Additionally, organizations should consider deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious header injection patterns, and implement proper output encoding techniques that prevent malicious content from being interpreted as valid HTTP headers. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-113, which specifically addresses improper neutralization of data within HTTP headers, and represents a significant concern from an ATT&CK perspective under the T1566 technique for credential access through manipulation of web services.
The remediation process should include thorough security auditing of all web applications to identify similar vulnerabilities in header handling, particularly in legacy systems that may be using outdated or unsupported software versions. Organizations should establish robust input validation policies that enforce strict sanitization of all user-supplied data, especially in contexts where HTTP headers are constructed. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to ensure that header injection vulnerabilities are not present in other components of the web application stack. The importance of keeping software components up-to-date cannot be overstated, as this vulnerability demonstrates how outdated applications can become significant security risks. Proper security configuration of web servers and application frameworks should include disabling unnecessary HTTP methods and implementing strict header validation policies that prevent the injection of malicious content into HTTP responses.