CVE-2005-4675 in Complete PHP Counter
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in list.php in Complete PHP Counter allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the c parameter.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/31/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-4675 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Complete PHP Counter application's list.php script. This security weakness specifically targets the c parameter, which serves as an entry point for malicious input manipulation. The vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-79, which classifies improper neutralization of input during web page generation as a critical web application security flaw. The Complete PHP Counter application, designed to track website visitors and page views, fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web content, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by remote attackers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker submits malicious content through the c parameter in the list.php script. When the application processes this input without adequate validation or sanitization, the injected script code becomes part of the web page response delivered to unsuspecting users. This allows attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the victim's browser context, potentially enabling session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The flaw demonstrates a failure in the application's input handling mechanisms, specifically the absence of proper output encoding or filtering that would prevent malicious scripts from being interpreted as legitimate content by web browsers.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on the Complete PHP Counter application for web analytics. Attackers can exploit this weakness to compromise user sessions, steal sensitive information, or deface web pages. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors do not require physical access to the system or insider knowledge of the internal network structure. Users who visit web pages containing the malicious payload will unknowingly execute the injected scripts, creating a vector for persistent security breaches. The vulnerability can be particularly dangerous in environments where the counter application is used on public-facing websites with high user traffic, as the impact can scale across many potential victims.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-4675 should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The primary defense involves sanitizing all user-supplied input through strict validation routines that reject or escape potentially dangerous characters before processing. Organizations should implement Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution and prevent unauthorized code injection. The application should employ proper output encoding when displaying user data, ensuring that special characters are properly escaped to prevent interpretation as executable code. Additionally, regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001, which covers spearphishing attachments, as attackers can leverage such XSS flaws to deliver malicious payloads through seemingly legitimate web traffic. The remediation approach should include updating to patched versions of the Complete PHP Counter application, implementing web application firewalls, and establishing comprehensive security training for developers to prevent similar issues in future code development cycles.