CVE-2006-0193 in H-Sphere
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Hosting Control Panel (psoft.hsphere.CP) in Positive Software H-Sphere 2.4.3 Patch 8 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the login parameter in a login action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/17/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-0193 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness within the hosting control panel component of Positive Software H-Sphere version 2.4.3 Patch 8 and earlier systems. This flaw exists in the psoft.hsphere.CP module which handles user authentication processes, specifically during login operations where user input is not properly sanitized or validated before being processed and returned to the client browser. The vulnerability manifests when attackers exploit the login parameter field to inject malicious script code that executes in the context of other users' browsers who access the compromised control panel interface.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the control panel's authentication handler. When users submit login credentials through the web interface, the system fails to properly escape or sanitize special characters in the login parameter before rendering the response page. This allows malicious actors to embed JavaScript code, HTML tags, or other malicious payloads that execute in the victim's browser context. The vulnerability specifically affects the login action handler where user-supplied data flows directly into the HTTP response without appropriate security controls to prevent script injection attacks.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant security risks for hosting environments utilizing affected H-Sphere versions. Attackers can leverage this weakness to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users, redirect victims to malicious websites, or execute arbitrary code within the victim's browser context. The compromised control panel interface provides attackers with elevated privileges to manipulate hosting configurations, access customer data, modify website content, or potentially escalate their access to underlying server resources. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it targets the administrative interface where users have elevated privileges and access to sensitive system information.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and output encoding controls to prevent malicious script injection. The recommended approach involves implementing proper HTML entity encoding for all user-supplied input before rendering it in web responses, utilizing secure coding practices that sanitize all parameters passed through the login handler, and deploying web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script injection attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting flaws, and follows ATT&CK technique T1566 related to social engineering through malicious web content. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to further restrict script execution and establish proper access controls for the control panel interface to limit the potential impact of such attacks.