CVE-2005-4369 in Acuity CMS
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Acuity CMS 2.6.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified search parameters, possibly strSearchKeywords to browse.asp.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/01/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-4369 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within Acuity CMS version 2.6.2, a content management system that was widely deployed in web environments during the mid-2000s. This particular weakness resides in the application's handling of search parameters, specifically within the browse.asp component which processes user input for search functionality. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of other users' browsers, creating a significant security risk for websites utilizing this CMS version.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of search parameters, particularly targeting the strSearchKeywords variable within the browse.asp script. When users submit search queries through the CMS interface, the application fails to properly sanitize or encode the input before rendering it back to the browser. This lack of input validation creates an opening for attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code or HTML content that gets executed when other users view the search results page. The vulnerability manifests as a reflected XSS attack where the malicious payload is embedded within the URL parameters and executed in the victim's browser context.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to websites running Acuity CMS 2.6.2 as it enables attackers to potentially steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires no privileged access or complex exploitation techniques, making it accessible to even novice attackers. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of web applications by allowing unauthorized code execution in user browsers, potentially leading to complete compromise of user sessions and data theft.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as aligning with CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting flaws as weaknesses in input validation and output encoding. The attack pattern follows the typical TTPs described in MITRE ATT&CK framework under the technique T1531 for "Run-time Process Injection" and T1203 for "Exploitation for Client Execution" which are commonly associated with XSS vulnerabilities. Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including input validation and output encoding of all user-supplied data, particularly search parameters, and consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of keeping CMS platforms updated with the latest security patches, as this specific issue was likely addressed in subsequent releases of the Acuity CMS software.