CVE-2005-4420 in Honeycomb Archive Enterprise
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Honeycomb Archive Enterprise 3.0 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified search parameters, possibly the keyword parameter in search.cfm.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/04/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-4420 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Honeycomb Archive Enterprise 3.0 web application, specifically affecting the search functionality implemented in search.cfm. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that enables attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability exists in the application's handling of search parameters, particularly the keyword parameter, which fails to properly sanitize or validate user input before incorporating it into the web response.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when remote attackers submit malicious payloads through the search interface, specifically targeting the keyword parameter within the search.cfm script. When the application processes these inputs without adequate sanitization, it renders the malicious code within the web page context, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary scripts in the victim's browser. This weakness enables attackers to perform session hijacking, deface web applications, steal sensitive cookies, or redirect users to malicious sites, all while appearing to originate from the legitimate application.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant security risks for organizations using Honeycomb Archive Enterprise 3.0, as it allows unauthenticated remote attackers to compromise user sessions and potentially gain unauthorized access to sensitive archived data. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it leverages the application's legitimate search functionality, making it difficult for security systems to distinguish between benign and malicious requests. The vulnerability could be exploited to manipulate search results, inject phishing content, or establish persistent malicious presence within the application environment.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate implementation of input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the search.cfm script. Security controls should enforce strict sanitization of all user inputs, particularly those used in dynamic content generation, and implement proper HTML encoding for all output data. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious search parameter patterns, along with regular security assessments of the application's input handling mechanisms. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for credential access through phishing and T1588.002 for development of malware, as it provides attackers with a method to establish persistent access and potentially escalate privileges within the application environment.