CVE-2005-3839 in Supportdesk
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in SupportPRO Supportdesk allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) post tickers and (2) view tickets options.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/28/2017
The CVE-2005-3839 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the SupportPRO Supportdesk application that exposes organizations to significant security risks. This vulnerability resides in the web application's handling of user input within specific functionality areas, specifically affecting the post tickers and view tickets features. The flaw allows remote attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML content into the application's response, potentially compromising user sessions and enabling unauthorized actions. Such vulnerabilities fall under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental weakness in web application security.
The technical execution of this vulnerability occurs when the SupportPRO Supportdesk application fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied input before rendering it within web pages. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious payloads that contain embedded script tags or other HTML elements when submitting data through the affected post tickers or view tickets functionality. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic reflected XSS pattern where malicious code is injected into the application's response and subsequently executed in the victim's browser context. This type of attack can be particularly dangerous as it allows attackers to bypass normal access controls and potentially escalate privileges or steal sensitive information.
The operational impact of CVE-2005-3839 extends beyond simple data corruption or display issues, as it creates a persistent threat vector that can be leveraged for session hijacking, credential theft, and data manipulation. When users interact with the affected application, they become potential victims of the injected malicious code, which can redirect them to phishing sites, steal cookies, or perform unauthorized actions on their behalf. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations relying on SupportPRO Supportdesk for customer support operations, as it could compromise the integrity of support ticket systems and potentially expose sensitive customer information. This type of vulnerability is categorized under the ATT&CK technique T1566 for Phishing and T1531 for Account Access Through Web Shell, demonstrating the broad attack surface and potential for exploitation.
Organizations should implement multiple layers of mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability, beginning with immediate input validation and output encoding measures. The most effective remediation involves implementing proper HTML escaping and sanitization of all user-supplied input before rendering it within web pages. Additionally, organizations should deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts and implement proper session management controls. Regular security testing including dynamic application security testing and manual penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of secure coding practices and input validation, aligning with industry standards such as the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks for web application security.