CVE-2005-4231 in Link Up Gold
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Link Up Gold 2.5 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via (1) link parameter to tell_friend.php, (2) phrase[] parameter to search.php in a search_links_advanced action, and the (3) direction or (4) sort parameter to articles.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/02/2017
This cross-site scripting vulnerability exists in Link Up Gold version 2.5 and earlier, representing a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of affected users' browsers. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization mechanisms within multiple script files that handle user-supplied data. Attackers can exploit this weakness by injecting malicious web scripts or HTML code through specific parameters in three different files, creating a multi-vector attack surface that significantly increases the potential impact of the vulnerability. The flaw directly violates secure coding practices and represents a failure to implement proper output encoding and input validation measures that are fundamental to preventing XSS attacks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through four distinct attack vectors that all share the common weakness of inadequate parameter sanitization. The first vector targets the link parameter in tell_friend.php, allowing attackers to inject malicious content when users share links through the application's friend notification system. The second vector exploits the phrase[] parameter within search.php during search_links_advanced actions, enabling attackers to inject scripts through search functionality. The third and fourth vectors target the direction and sort parameters in articles.php, which allows attackers to inject malicious content when users navigate through articles using sorting or directional navigation features. These attack vectors demonstrate a pattern of poor input handling across different application modules, indicating a systemic security flaw rather than isolated incidents.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it can lead to unauthorized access to user sessions, data theft, account takeovers, and the potential for further exploitation within the application environment. When users visit pages containing maliciously injected scripts, their browsers execute the injected code, potentially allowing attackers to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of the Link Up Gold application, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited through normal user interactions without requiring special privileges or complex attack scenarios. This makes the vulnerability highly exploitable and increases the risk of widespread compromise across all users of the affected application version.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding across all user-supplied parameters. The recommended approach includes implementing strict parameter validation that filters out or encodes potentially dangerous characters before processing user input. Additionally, developers should implement proper output encoding mechanisms that ensure any user-supplied content is rendered safely in web contexts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and it maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 which covers social engineering through spearphishing with a link. Organizations should prioritize updating to patched versions of Link Up Gold, implementing web application firewalls, and conducting thorough security testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components. The remediation process should include comprehensive code reviews focusing on parameter handling and input validation to prevent similar issues from recurring in future development cycles.