CVE-2005-4876 in Openfire
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the login form (login.jsp) of the admin console in Openfire (formerly Wildfire) 2.2.2, and possibly other versions before 2.3.0 Beta 2, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the username parameter, a different vulnerability than CVE-2005-4877.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/17/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-4876 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the administrative console of Openfire messaging server version 2.2.2 and potentially earlier releases. This security weakness specifically targets the login form component known as login.jsp which serves as the primary interface for administrators to access the system's management functionality. The flaw resides in the insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms implemented within the web application's authentication layer, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by remote threat actors to execute malicious code within the context of authenticated sessions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly sanitize user-supplied input parameters, particularly the username field within the login form. When an attacker submits a malicious payload through the username parameter, the system fails to adequately filter or encode the input before rendering it back to the user interface. This allows the malicious script code to be executed within the browser context of any user who views the affected page, effectively enabling the attacker to hijack sessions, steal credentials, or perform unauthorized administrative actions. The vulnerability is classified as a classic reflected XSS attack pattern where the malicious input is immediately reflected back to the user without proper sanitization, making it particularly dangerous in the context of administrative interfaces where elevated privileges are granted.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection as it fundamentally compromises the security posture of the entire Openfire deployment. Since the affected component resides within the administrative console, successful exploitation could enable attackers to gain unauthorized access to critical system configuration settings, user management capabilities, and potentially escalate their privileges to full administrative control. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires no prior authentication, making it an attractive target for automated exploitation tools. This vulnerability directly violates security principles outlined in CWE-79 which addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script injection attacks. The impact is amplified when considering that the administrative console typically contains sensitive operational data and system controls that could be leveraged for further compromise of the network infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate software updates to versions 2.3.0 Beta 2 or later where the issue has been addressed through proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive input sanitization measures that filter or encode all user-supplied data before processing, particularly within authentication interfaces. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls and content security policies can provide additional defense-in-depth layers to detect and block malicious payloads. Security teams should also conduct thorough code reviews of authentication components to identify similar input validation weaknesses and implement proper HTML encoding for all dynamic content rendered to users. The remediation process should include disabling unnecessary administrative access points, implementing multi-factor authentication for privileged accounts, and establishing monitoring procedures to detect anomalous login patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to ensure that similar XSS vulnerabilities do not exist in other components of the messaging infrastructure.