CVE-2006-0889 in Calcium
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Calcium 3.10.1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the EventText parameter. NOTE: the provenance of this information is unknown; the details are obtained solely from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/19/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-0889 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Calcium version 3.10.1, a web application framework that was widely used for building dynamic websites and content management systems. This vulnerability resides in the application's handling of user input through the EventText parameter, which is typically used to capture event descriptions or textual content submitted by users. The weakness allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML code into the application's response, potentially compromising user sessions and data integrity. The vulnerability's classification as a remote attack vector means that exploitation can occur without requiring local system access or authentication, making it particularly dangerous in web environments where users interact with the application through standard web browsers.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows the standard XSS attack pattern where the EventText parameter is not properly sanitized or validated before being rendered back to users. When a malicious user submits crafted script code within the EventText field, the application fails to adequately escape or filter special characters such as angle brackets, quotes, and script tags. This allows the injected code to execute within the browser context of other users who view the affected content, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic lack of input validation and output encoding practices that are fundamental to preventing XSS attacks. According to CWE classification, this represents a CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which specifically addresses the failure to sanitize user-supplied data before including it in web responses. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001: Phishing, as attackers can leverage this weakness to craft malicious payloads that appear legitimate to end users.
The operational impact of CVE-2006-0889 extends beyond simple script injection, potentially allowing attackers to establish persistent access to user accounts and compromise sensitive information. When exploited, this vulnerability enables attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of authenticated users, which could lead to unauthorized access to personal data, modification of content, or even complete account takeover. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors can exploit this vulnerability from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to the target system or network. Organizations using Calcium 3.10.1 would be particularly vulnerable if they allowed user-generated content submission through the EventText parameter, as this creates an attack surface that can be leveraged for various malicious activities including data exfiltration, credential harvesting, and establishment of backdoor access points. The vulnerability's age and the fact that it was discovered in 2006 indicates that many organizations may have been running unpatched versions of Calcium, making them susceptible to exploitation by threat actors who maintain databases of known vulnerabilities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-0889 should focus on immediate remediation through patching the Calcium application to a version that properly sanitizes user input. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms that escape special characters before rendering user-supplied content. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional defense-in-depth measures by restricting script execution within the application context. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar input validation weaknesses in other application components. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious script injection attempts. Additionally, user education regarding the risks of clicking on untrusted links or submitting content to unverified applications can help reduce the impact of successful exploitation attempts. Organizations should maintain up-to-date vulnerability assessments and ensure that all third-party components are regularly updated to address known security flaws. The remediation process should include thorough testing to verify that the patch or mitigation does not introduce regressions in application functionality while effectively addressing the XSS vulnerability.