CVE-2006-0109 in Shopping Cart
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting vulnerability in category.php in Modular Merchant Shopping Cart allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the cat parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/01/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-0109 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Modular Merchant Shopping Cart platform's category.php script. This security weakness resides in how the application processes user input through the cat parameter, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of other users' browsers. The flaw operates at the application layer where user-supplied data flows directly into the web page output without proper sanitization or encoding mechanisms. This particular vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a critical weakness in web applications that allows attackers to inject client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability enables remote attackers to craft malicious URLs containing script payloads within the cat parameter value. When a victim accesses such a crafted URL, the vulnerable application processes the input without adequate validation or output encoding, resulting in the execution of the injected script within the victim's browser context. The attack vector operates through HTTP requests where the malicious input is seamlessly integrated into the web page's HTML output, potentially compromising user sessions, stealing cookies, or redirecting users to malicious sites. This type of vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation practices and highlights the absence of proper security controls at the application's data handling interface.
The operational impact of CVE-2006-0109 extends beyond simple script execution, potentially enabling sophisticated attacks such as session hijacking, credential theft, or defacement of the shopping cart interface. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to inject malicious scripts that capture user credentials, redirect traffic to phishing sites, or manipulate the shopping cart functionality to redirect users to unauthorized payment processors. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of user data within the e-commerce environment, potentially compromising customer trust and business operations. From an attacker's perspective, this vulnerability represents a low-effort, high-impact vector that can be exploited without requiring authentication or specialized knowledge of the underlying system architecture. The attack can be executed through simple URL manipulation techniques, making it particularly dangerous for widespread exploitation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's data flow. The recommended approach involves sanitizing all user-supplied input through proper validation routines that reject or escape potentially malicious content before processing. Security controls should include implementing Content Security Policy headers to restrict script execution, employing proper HTML encoding for all dynamic content, and establishing secure coding practices that prevent direct injection of user data into web page output. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious payloads, conducting regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities, and ensuring proper patch management for the Modular Merchant Shopping Cart platform. The remediation efforts should align with industry best practices for web application security and address the fundamental architectural weakness that allowed the vulnerability to exist in the first place.