CVE-2005-4314 in PPCal Shopping Cart
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in ppcal.cgi in PPCal Shopping Cart 3.3.0 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) stop and (2) user parameters.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/24/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-4314 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the PPCal Shopping Cart software version 3.3.0 and earlier. This type of vulnerability falls under the broader category of injection attacks that exploit the improper handling of user input in web applications. The specific implementation of the vulnerability occurs within the ppcal.cgi script which processes user requests and fails to adequately sanitize or validate input parameters before incorporating them into dynamically generated web content. The affected parameters stop and user are particularly susceptible because they are directly reflected in the application's output without proper input filtering mechanisms.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to implement proper output encoding or input validation when processing the stop and user parameters. When an attacker crafts malicious input containing script tags or other HTML content and submits it through these parameters, the web application processes the input without sanitizing it and subsequently displays the malicious content within the user's browser context. This creates a persistent vulnerability where any user who views the affected page becomes a victim of the XSS attack, as the malicious script executes within their browser session with the privileges of the victim user. The vulnerability is classified as a reflected XSS attack since the malicious input is immediately reflected back in the application's response without being stored.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and redirection to malicious websites. An attacker could potentially steal session cookies from authenticated users, allowing them to impersonate legitimate users and gain unauthorized access to sensitive shopping cart functionality. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for phishing attacks where attackers can craft deceptive pages that appear legitimate to users while executing malicious code in the background. This represents a significant security risk for e-commerce environments where user data and financial transactions are processed, as the attack can be executed without requiring any special privileges or access to the server infrastructure itself.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications. The attack pattern corresponds to the techniques documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1059.007 sub-technique for script injection and T1566 for social engineering attacks. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent such vulnerabilities, including the use of parameterized queries, proper HTML escaping, and Content Security Policy implementations. The remediation strategy requires immediate patching of the affected software version and implementation of secure coding practices that validate all user inputs and properly encode all dynamic content before rendering it in web browsers. Additionally, regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other web applications and ensure that the application follows secure coding standards and best practices for preventing injection attacks.