CVE-2005-4571 in myEZshop Shopping Cart
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in myEZshop Shopping Cart allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the Keyword parameter. NOTE: the provenance of this information is unknown; the details are obtained solely from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/04/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-4571 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the myEZshop Shopping Cart web application. This type of vulnerability falls under the broader category of injection attacks that exploit the improper handling of user-supplied input within web applications. The specific weakness manifests when the application fails to adequately sanitize or validate the Keyword parameter, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content that gets executed in the context of other users' browsers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly filter or encode user input before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages. When a user submits a search query containing malicious script code through the Keyword parameter, the web application processes this input without sufficient validation measures. This lack of input sanitization creates an environment where attacker-controlled code can be seamlessly integrated into the application's response, leading to unauthorized script execution in the victim's browser context. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the user interface level, making it difficult to detect and exploit without proper security controls in place.
The operational impact of this XSS vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or session hijacking. Attackers can leverage this flaw to perform a wide range of malicious activities including but not limited to stealing user credentials, modifying the application's functionality, redirecting users to malicious websites, or even executing arbitrary commands on affected systems. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require physical access to the target system, making it particularly attractive for widespread exploitation. From a business perspective, this vulnerability can result in significant reputational damage, regulatory penalties, and financial losses due to compromised customer data and disrupted services.
Security practitioners should approach mitigation of this vulnerability through multiple layers of defense. The primary remediation strategy involves implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the application code. All user-supplied input must be rigorously sanitized before being processed or displayed, with special attention to HTML and script characters that could be used for injection attacks. Additionally, implementing a Content Security Policy (CSP) can provide an additional layer of protection by restricting the sources from which scripts can be loaded and executed. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege and secure coding practices. Organizations should also consider implementing Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) as a defensive measure, though this should not replace proper code-level fixes. Regular security testing including dynamic application security testing and manual penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the application stack. The remediation process must include comprehensive code review procedures and security training for developers to prevent similar issues from recurring in future development cycles.