CVE-2005-4078 in Ideal BB.NET
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Ideal BB.NET 1.3 and earlier allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) forumID, (2) boardID, and (3) topicRepeater1-p parameters in topics.aspx, (4) boardID parameter in categoryindex.aspx, (5) postID parameter in posts.aspx, (6) catID parameter in forums.aspx, and (7) memberID parameter in member.aspx.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/30/2017
The CVE-2005-4078 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Ideal BB.NET version 1.3 and earlier implementations. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the web application's handling of user-supplied parameters. The flaw manifests across multiple pages including topics.aspx, categoryindex.aspx, posts.aspx, forums.aspx, and member.aspx, making it particularly dangerous as it affects core forum functionality and user interaction points. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of victim browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions within the compromised user's session.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through manipulation of specific URL parameters that are not properly sanitized before being rendered back to users. The affected parameters include forumID, boardID, topicRepeater1-p, postID, catID, and memberID which are all processed by the application without adequate validation or encoding. When these parameters contain malicious script code, the application fails to escape special characters or validate input formats, allowing the injected content to execute in the victim's browser. This represents a classic CWE-79 Input Validation and Output Encoding vulnerability where the application does not properly sanitize user input before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform sophisticated attacks against forum users and administrators. An attacker could craft malicious links containing script payloads that, when clicked by unsuspecting users, would execute in their browser context. This could lead to session cookie theft, redirecting users to malicious sites, or even enabling the attacker to post content on behalf of the victim. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of bulletin board systems, potentially compromising user privacy and data integrity throughout the entire forum ecosystem.
Security professionals should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies addressing the root causes of this vulnerability. Input validation must be strengthened to reject or sanitize all potentially malicious content before processing, while output encoding should be implemented to ensure that any user-supplied data is properly escaped when rendered in web pages. The application should adopt a whitelist approach for parameter validation, allowing only known good values rather than attempting to filter out malicious content. Additionally, implementing proper content security policies and using modern web application frameworks that provide built-in protection against XSS attacks would significantly reduce the risk of exploitation. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious links and T1059.001 for command and control through script injection, making it particularly dangerous in targeted attack scenarios.