CVE-2005-4596 in AdesGuestbook
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in read.php in AdesGuestbook 2.0 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the totalRows_rsRead parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/09/2025
The CVE-2005-4596 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the AdesGuestbook 2.0 web application, specifically targeting the read.php script. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-79 which defines improper neutralization of input during web page generation, making it a fundamental web application security weakness that has persisted across numerous applications over the years. The flaw manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages, creating an opportunity for malicious actors to execute unauthorized scripts within the context of other users' browsers.
The technical execution of this vulnerability occurs through manipulation of the totalRows_rsRead parameter, which serves as an input vector that gets directly embedded into the application's output without adequate sanitization or encoding measures. When an attacker crafts a malicious payload and injects it through this parameter, the web application processes the input without proper validation, allowing the injected script to execute in the victim's browser session. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the user interaction level, where the malicious code can persistently execute within legitimate user sessions, potentially compromising sensitive data or performing unauthorized actions on behalf of the victim.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities within the victim's browser context. Attackers could potentially steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, modify page content, or even execute more sophisticated attacks such as credential harvesting or privilege escalation within the application's context. The vulnerability demonstrates a critical failure in input validation and output encoding practices that are fundamental to web application security, representing a failure to implement proper defense-in-depth measures that would typically be found in secure coding standards and security frameworks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-4596 should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's codebase. The most effective remediation involves proper sanitization of all user-supplied input before it is processed or rendered in web pages, utilizing techniques such as HTML entity encoding, input validation, and parameterized queries where appropriate. Security practitioners should also implement content security policies to limit script execution capabilities, employ web application firewalls to detect and block malicious payloads, and conduct regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities within the application's code structure. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 which involves executing malicious code through script interpreters, emphasizing the importance of proper input handling in preventing such attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing automated security scanning tools and regular code reviews to identify and remediate similar issues that may exist in legacy web applications, as this vulnerability demonstrates how basic security principles can be overlooked in older software implementations.