CVE-2005-4311 in DCForum
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in DCForum 6.25 and earlier, and possibly DCForum+ 1.x, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via (1) the page parameter in dcboard.php and (2) unspecified search parameters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/08/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-4311 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting DCForum version 6.25 and earlier, with potential impact on DCForum+ 1.x versions. This security weakness resides in the web application's improper handling of user input within specific parameters, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary scripts in the context of affected users' browsers. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the application fails to adequately sanitize or encode user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages, thereby enabling attackers to inject malicious content that persists and executes within the victim's browser environment.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through two primary attack vectors within the DCForum application. The first vector targets the page parameter in dcboard.php, where user input is directly incorporated into the application's output without proper validation or encoding mechanisms. The second vector involves unspecified search parameters that similarly lack adequate input sanitization. Both attack paths demonstrate a classic XSS vulnerability pattern where malicious input flows through the application's request handling mechanism and gets rendered back to users without proper security controls. This flaw aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities in web applications, and represents a fundamental failure in input validation and output encoding practices.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform various malicious activities within the context of authenticated or unauthenticated user sessions. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, deface web pages, or perform actions on behalf of users with their privileges. The persistent nature of stored XSS attacks means that once the malicious payload is injected, it will affect all users who view the affected pages until the vulnerability is patched. This vulnerability particularly threatens web forums where user-generated content is common, as the attack can propagate through the community and affect multiple users simultaneously. The attack surface is further expanded by the fact that this vulnerability affects both DCForum and DCForum+ versions, indicating a broader impact across the product family.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's codebase. The primary defense involves implementing proper HTML entity encoding for all user-supplied input before rendering it in web pages, which directly addresses the root cause of the XSS vulnerability. Additionally, developers should implement Content Security Policy headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts and establish proper input validation routines that reject or sanitize potentially malicious content. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious input patterns, while maintaining regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities. The remediation process should include comprehensive code reviews focusing on all input handling mechanisms, particularly those related to parameter processing in dcboard.php and search functionality. This vulnerability serves as a critical reminder of the importance of following secure coding practices and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against cross-site scripting attacks, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and script injection.