CVE-2005-4492 in SiteSage
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Starphire SiteSage 5.0.18 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified search parameters, possibly the norelay_highlight_words parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/15/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-4492 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Starphire SiteSage version 5.0.18 and earlier systems. This vulnerability falls under the broader category of web application security weaknesses that enable malicious actors to execute arbitrary scripts in the context of victim browsers. The affected software platform, Starphire SiteSage, is a web content management system that likely handles various user inputs through search functionalities and parameter processing mechanisms. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize or validate user-supplied input parameters, creating an entry point for attackers to inject malicious code.
Technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of search parameters, with particular emphasis on the norelay_highlight_words parameter. This parameter likely controls how search results are highlighted or displayed within the application interface, making it a prime target for injection attacks. When users submit search queries containing malicious script code within these parameters, the application processes the input without adequate sanitization measures. The absence of proper input validation and output encoding creates an environment where attacker-controlled content can be executed as legitimate script within the victim's browser context. This flaw directly corresponds to CWE-79, which defines the classic cross-site scripting vulnerability where applications fail to properly escape or encode user-controllable data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it enables attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, modify content displayed to other users, or even execute arbitrary commands on the affected system. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation does not require physical access to the target system, making it particularly dangerous for web applications. Users who interact with the vulnerable SiteSage application could unknowingly execute malicious scripts that compromise their browsing sessions and potentially lead to more severe security incidents. The vulnerability's classification under the ATT&CK framework would likely map to techniques involving web shell deployment and session hijacking through malicious script injection.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of the affected software versions, as Starphire SiteSage 5.0.18 and earlier releases are no longer supported. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation mechanisms that sanitize all user-supplied parameters, particularly those used in search and display functions. The implementation of proper output encoding and Content Security Policy headers can provide additional layers of protection against script execution. Security teams should also consider deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious parameter patterns associated with XSS attacks. Regular security assessments and input validation testing should be conducted to ensure that similar vulnerabilities do not exist in other application components. The remediation process must include thorough code reviews focusing on parameter handling and output generation to prevent future occurrences of similar flaws in the application's architecture.