CVE-2005-4671 in Simple PHP Upload
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in simple-upload-53.php in CityPost Simple PHP Upload 5.3 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the message parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/22/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-4671 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the CityPost Simple PHP Upload 5.3 web application. This particular issue affects the simple-upload-53.php script which processes file upload operations and fails to properly sanitize user input before rendering it within the web page context. The vulnerability specifically targets the message parameter, which is likely used to display status messages or user feedback during the upload process, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content into the application's response.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows the standard XSS attack pattern where an attacker crafts a malicious payload containing script code within the message parameter and submits it through the upload interface. When the vulnerable application processes this input and displays it without proper sanitization or encoding, the injected script executes within the context of other users' browsers who view the affected page. This creates a persistent threat where any user who accesses the page containing the malicious content becomes a potential victim of the XSS attack, which can lead to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to both application integrity and user security within the CityPost Simple PHP Upload environment. The impact extends beyond simple script injection as it can enable attackers to escalate privileges, steal cookies, perform actions on behalf of authenticated users, or manipulate the application's behavior. The vulnerability's persistence through the upload process means that malicious content can remain embedded in the application's response until manually removed, potentially affecting numerous users over extended periods. This type of vulnerability directly violates security principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten, specifically targeting the injection flaws category and potentially enabling further exploitation through chained attacks.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a weakness where applications fail to properly escape or validate user input before rendering it in web pages. This weakness can be exploited through various vectors including reflected, stored, and DOM-based XSS scenarios, with this particular case representing a stored XSS vulnerability since the malicious content is saved and displayed to other users. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1566.001 (Phishing via Social Media) and T1584.002 (Compromise of Web Application) as attackers can leverage this weakness to create malicious web content that can be served to unsuspecting users. The attack chain typically involves initial access through the vulnerable upload interface, followed by execution of malicious payloads that can persist in the application's data store.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate implementation of input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the simple-upload-53.php script. The application must sanitize all user-supplied input, particularly the message parameter, by removing or encoding potentially dangerous characters such as angle brackets, script tags, and event handlers. Implementing proper content security policies and using frameworks that automatically escape output can provide additional layers of protection. Regular security auditing of web applications, input validation testing, and maintaining up-to-date security patches are essential practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities. Organizations should also implement web application firewalls and monitoring systems to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure coding practices and input validation in preventing client-side attacks, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security testing throughout the software development lifecycle.