CVE-2005-4475 in OpenCms
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in OpenCms 6.0.3 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified search parameters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/15/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-4475 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within OpenCms versions 6.0.3 and earlier, specifically affecting the search functionality of the content management system. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-79 which defines improper neutralization of input during web page generation, making it a classic example of an injection flaw that can be exploited by malicious actors to execute arbitrary scripts within the context of a victim's browser session. The flaw manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied input parameters that are subsequently rendered in web pages without adequate security controls.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the search processing module of OpenCms where user input values are directly incorporated into dynamically generated web content without proper validation or encoding mechanisms. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious payloads through search parameters that contain script tags or other HTML elements designed to execute within the browser context of authenticated users. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the web application layer where user interactions with search functionality are common, making it accessible to a broad range of potential attackers including those with minimal technical expertise. The unspecified nature of the search parameters suggests that multiple input fields within the search mechanism may be susceptible to this type of injection attack.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant security risks for organizations utilizing affected OpenCms versions, as it enables attackers to potentially steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of users, or redirect victims to malicious websites. The attack surface extends beyond simple script execution to include potential privilege escalation scenarios where authenticated users might be tricked into executing malicious code that could lead to complete system compromise. According to the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to technique T1059.001 for command and script injection, and T1531 for lateral movement through compromised sessions. The exploitation of such vulnerabilities can result in data breaches, unauthorized access to sensitive content, and potential disruption of business operations.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation by upgrading to OpenCms versions that have addressed this vulnerability, as the affected versions represent a known security risk that has remained unpatched for an extended period. Security practitioners should implement input validation controls at the application level, including the implementation of proper output encoding mechanisms for all user-supplied content that is rendered in web pages. Additional mitigations include deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious payloads targeting XSS vulnerabilities, implementing strict content security policies, and conducting regular security assessments of web applications to identify similar injection flaws. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of maintaining current security patches and following secure coding practices that emphasize input sanitization and output encoding as fundamental defensive measures against cross-site scripting attacks.