CVE-2005-4644 in Trac
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the HTML WikiProcessor in Edgewall Trac 0.9.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via javascript in the SRC attribute of an IMG tag.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/25/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-4644 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Edgewall Trac 0.9.2 web application framework. This issue specifically affects the HTML WikiProcessor component that handles wiki markup processing and rendering. The vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and sanitization of user-supplied content, particularly when processing image tags within wiki documents. Attackers can exploit this weakness by embedding malicious javascript code within the src attribute of img tags, which then gets executed in the context of other users' browsers when they view the affected wiki pages.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which categorizes cross-site scripting as a code injection flaw that occurs when untrusted data is incorporated into web pages without proper validation or encoding. The flaw exists because the Trac application fails to adequately sanitize or escape user-provided content before rendering it in HTML contexts. When an attacker crafts a wiki page containing an img tag with a malicious src attribute pointing to a javascript URI or external script, the application processes this input without sufficient security controls. This allows the malicious script to execute within the victim's browser session, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or other malicious activities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can be leveraged to compromise user sessions and establish persistent malicious presence within the Trac environment. An attacker who gains write access to a wiki page can inject scripts that steal cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or modify page content. The vulnerability affects all users who view affected wiki pages, making it particularly dangerous in collaborative environments where multiple users contribute to shared documentation. This flaw undermines the trust model of the application, as legitimate users cannot distinguish between safe and malicious content within the wiki system.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-4644 should include immediate implementation of input validation and output encoding measures. Organizations should ensure that all user-supplied content undergoes proper sanitization before being rendered in HTML contexts, with special attention to attributes like src in img tags. The recommended approach involves implementing strict content validation that rejects or escapes potentially dangerous protocols such as javascript:, data:, or vbscript: in URL attributes. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing a Content Security Policy to prevent execution of inline scripts and restrict external resource loading. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure input handling and output encoding in web applications, with implications that align with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script injection and T1531 for credential access through session manipulation. Regular security updates and vulnerability assessments remain essential for maintaining application security posture, particularly in collaborative development environments where user contributions increase attack surface exposure.