CVE-2005-4490 in SCOOP
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in SCOOP! 2.3 and earlier allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) keyword and (2) invalid parameter to articleSearch.asp; (3) username and (4) invalid parameter to lostPassword.asp; (5) Username, (6) Password, and (7) invalid parameter to account_login.asp; (8) area, (9) articleZoneID, (10) r, and (11) invalid parameters to category.asp; and invalid parameters to (12) articleZone.asp, (13) prePurchaserRegistration.asp, and (14) requestDemo.asp.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/09/2024
The CVE-2005-4490 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting SCOOP framework, creating a widespread attack surface that allows remote adversaries to execute malicious scripts in the context of victim browsers. The flaw stems from insufficient sanitization of user-supplied parameters, enabling attackers to inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript code that gets executed when legitimate users view affected pages. These vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous as they can be exploited without requiring authentication or special privileges, making them accessible to any internet user who can interact with the vulnerable web application.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability spans across several key ASP files including articleSearch.asp, lostPassword.asp, account_login.asp, category.asp, articleZone.asp, prePurchaserRegistration.asp, and requestDemo.asp. Each of these pages accepts multiple parameters that are not properly validated or escaped before being rendered back to users, creating multiple entry points for XSS attacks. The vulnerability specifically targets parameters such as keyword, username, invalid, area, articleZoneID, r, Username, Password, and various other input fields that are processed without adequate sanitization measures. This lack of proper input handling creates persistent XSS opportunities where attackers can embed malicious scripts that execute in the victim's browser context, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or further exploitation of the compromised user's privileges.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations using SCOOP! versions 2.3 or earlier, as it enables attackers to compromise user sessions and potentially gain unauthorized access to sensitive data or functionality. The impact extends beyond simple script execution, as these vulnerabilities can be leveraged to perform session hijacking attacks, steal authentication cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or even install malware through browser-based exploits. The multi-layered nature of this vulnerability means that an attacker can potentially exploit multiple entry points simultaneously, increasing the likelihood of successful compromise. Additionally, the widespread nature of the affected parameters suggests that the vulnerability affects core application functionality, potentially impacting user registration, password recovery, search capabilities, and content browsing features. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited across various user interactions with the application, increasing both the attack surface and the potential impact.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws in web applications, and demonstrates poor adherence to secure coding practices recommended by OWASP and other security frameworks. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566.001 (Phishing via Social Engineering) and T1059.007 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript) as it enables attackers to deliver malicious JavaScript payloads to victims. Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including input validation, output encoding, and proper parameter sanitization across all affected ASP pages. The most effective immediate solution involves implementing proper HTML encoding of all user-supplied input before rendering it in web pages, combined with implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls, conducting comprehensive security testing, and upgrading to patched versions of SCOOP! where available to prevent exploitation of these persistent vulnerabilities that could lead to complete application compromise and user data breaches.