CVE-2005-4290 in ECW-Cart
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in index.cgi in ECW-Cart 2.03 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) kword, (2) max, (3) min, (4) comp, and (5) f parameters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/27/2024
The CVE-2005-4290 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in ECW-Cart version 2.03 and earlier implementations. This vulnerability exists within the index.cgi script which serves as a core component for handling user input and displaying search results within the e-commerce platform. The flaw manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize or encode user-supplied parameters before incorporating them into dynamically generated web content, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary scripts in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability specifically affects five distinct parameters: kword for keyword searches, max and min for numerical range filters, comp for comparison operations, and f for various functional parameters, all of which are processed without adequate input validation or output encoding mechanisms.
This XSS vulnerability operates under the CWE-79 classification as a classic cross-site scripting attack where malicious input is executed in the victim's browser context. The attack vector leverages the fact that the index.cgi script directly incorporates user-provided parameters into HTML output without proper sanitization, allowing attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code, HTML tags, or other harmful content. The impact extends beyond simple script execution to potentially enable session hijacking, credential theft, defacement of web pages, and redirection to malicious sites. Given that ECW-Cart was designed as an e-commerce solution handling sensitive user data, the exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to comprehensive compromise of user sessions and potentially unauthorized transactions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations running affected ECW-Cart versions, as it creates persistent security risks across all search and filtering functions within the application. Attackers can craft malicious URLs containing script payloads that, when clicked by unsuspecting users, execute code in their browsers to steal cookies, modify page content, or redirect users to phishing sites. The vulnerability's presence in core search functionality means that any user interaction with the shopping cart's search or filter capabilities could potentially be exploited. This attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through spearphishing attachments and T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter usage, as the malicious payloads can execute within the victim's browser environment.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-4290 require immediate implementation of proper input validation and output encoding practices. Organizations should implement strict parameter validation that rejects or sanitizes potentially dangerous characters and sequences before processing user input. The most effective defense involves encoding all user-supplied data using appropriate HTML encoding functions when inserting it into web pages, particularly for parameters kword, max, min, comp, and f. Additionally, implementing a Content Security Policy (CSP) header can provide an additional layer of protection against script injection attempts. System administrators should also consider upgrading to patched versions of ECW-Cart if available, as this vulnerability represents a known flaw that has been addressed in subsequent releases. Regular security audits and input validation testing should be conducted to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other components of the web application stack.