CVE-2005-4482 in PortalApp
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in login.asp in PortalApp 3.3 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the ret_page parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/07/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-4482 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the PortalApp 3.3 web application framework, specifically affecting the login.asp component. This issue manifests as a security weakness that enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of authenticated users' browsers. The vulnerability occurs when the application fails to properly validate or sanitize user input passed through the ret_page parameter, which is typically used to redirect users after successful authentication back to their originally requested page. The flaw exists in the application's input handling mechanism where unfiltered user-supplied data is directly incorporated into the web page response without appropriate encoding or validation measures.
This XSS vulnerability operates under the Common Weakness Enumeration classification of CWE-79, which specifically addresses "Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')". The attack vector leverages the ret_page parameter that is commonly used in web applications for maintaining user session state and navigation flow. When an attacker crafts a malicious URL containing script code within the ret_page parameter and convinces a victim to visit this crafted link, the application processes this input without adequate sanitization. The malicious script then executes in the victim's browser within the security context of the vulnerable application, potentially allowing attackers to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions, or redirect users to malicious sites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it can lead to significant security breaches within the application environment. Attackers can exploit this weakness to hijack user sessions, particularly if the application employs cookie-based authentication mechanisms. The vulnerability enables man-in-the-middle attacks where malicious actors can intercept and manipulate user interactions with the application. Additionally, the flaw can be used to deface the application interface, redirect users to phishing sites, or harvest sensitive information from authenticated sessions. This particular vulnerability affects PortalApp 3.3 and earlier versions, indicating it was present in legacy systems that may have been deployed in enterprise environments where upgrading older applications was deferred or neglected.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The primary defense involves sanitizing all user-supplied input through strict validation processes that reject or encode potentially dangerous characters before they are processed by the application. Implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection by restricting the sources from which scripts can be loaded. The application should also employ proper URL encoding for the ret_page parameter and validate that the redirect target belongs to the same domain or is explicitly authorized. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1531 - "Modify Application Launchers" and T1059 - "Command and Scripting Interpreter" as attackers can leverage the XSS to execute malicious code within the victim's browser context. Organizations should also implement regular security testing including automated vulnerability scanning and manual penetration testing to identify similar input validation weaknesses in their web applications. The remediation process requires updating the login.asp component to properly escape or filter user input, ensuring that any data passed through the ret_page parameter undergoes rigorous validation before being used in page generation.