CVE-2005-4305 in Trac
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Edgewall Trac 0.9, 0.9.1, and 0.9.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the URL, which is not properly sanitized before it is returned in an error page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/13/2019
The CVE-2005-4305 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw in the Edgewall Trac collaboration platform version 0.9, 0.9.1, and 0.9.2. This vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses improper neutralization of input during web page generation, making it a fundamental web application security weakness. The vulnerability occurs when the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied URL parameters before incorporating them into error messages displayed to users. This oversight creates a pathway for malicious actors to inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript code through carefully crafted URLs that trigger error conditions within the application.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves attackers crafting malicious URLs that contain script payloads, which when processed by the vulnerable Trac application, get embedded into error pages without proper sanitization. When legitimate users access these error pages, their browsers execute the injected scripts, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability specifically targets the error handling mechanism of the application, where user input is directly reflected back to the browser context without appropriate encoding or filtering. This type of flaw demonstrates a critical failure in input validation and output encoding practices that are fundamental to preventing XSS attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable sophisticated attack vectors including cookie theft through document.cookie access, redirection to phishing sites, and potential privilege escalation within the application context. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to compromise user sessions, especially if the application handles sensitive authentication information or maintains persistent user states. The affected versions of Trac represent a significant risk to organizations using these legacy platforms, as the vulnerability remains exploitable due to the lack of proper input sanitization in error handling routines. This flaw particularly affects collaborative environments where multiple users interact with shared code repositories and project management features.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied data, particularly in error handling paths. The recommended approach involves implementing proper HTML escaping for all dynamic content before rendering, utilizing secure coding practices that align with OWASP Top Ten recommendations and the ATT&CK framework's web application attack patterns. Additionally, organizations should consider upgrading to patched versions of Trac, implementing web application firewalls, and conducting regular security assessments to identify similar input validation weaknesses. The vulnerability highlights the importance of comprehensive security testing including dynamic analysis of error handling routines and input validation mechanisms to prevent such persistent security flaws in collaborative software platforms.