CVE-2006-1233 in WMNews
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in WMNews allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) ArtCat parameter to wmview.php, (2) ctrrowcol parameter to footer.php, or (3) ArtID parameter to wmcomments.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2017
The CVE-2006-1233 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in the WMNews web application that exposes users to significant security risks through multiple attack vectors. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability affects the WMNews content management system and specifically targets three distinct parameters across different PHP files within the application's codebase.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through three primary attack vectors that leverage parameter injection techniques. The first vector targets the ArtCat parameter in wmview.php, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts when the application processes category-based article viewing requests. The second vector exploits the ctrrowcol parameter in footer.php, enabling script injection during footer rendering operations. The third vector targets the ArtID parameter in wmcomments.php, which permits malicious code injection when processing article comments. These attack surfaces demonstrate a lack of proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the application's parameter handling logic, creating opportunities for persistent script injection attacks.
The operational impact of CVE-2006-1233 extends beyond simple script execution, as successful exploitation can lead to session hijacking, credential theft, and unauthorized access to user accounts. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that execute in the context of legitimate users' browsers, potentially compromising user sessions and gaining access to sensitive information. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple files suggests a systemic weakness in the application's security architecture, indicating that input sanitization and output encoding practices were not consistently implemented throughout the codebase. This type of vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for Initial Access through Web Shell and T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter through JavaScript execution.
Organizations utilizing WMNews systems face significant risk exposure from this vulnerability, as it enables attackers to establish persistent malicious presence within their web applications. The attack vectors are particularly concerning because they target core application functionality including content viewing, footer rendering, and comment processing, which are frequently accessed components. Remediation efforts should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms across all user-supplied parameters. Security measures must include proper HTML entity encoding for all dynamic content, implementation of Content Security Policy headers, and regular security code reviews to prevent similar vulnerabilities in future releases. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining consistent security practices throughout application development lifecycle processes and adheres to OWASP Top Ten security principles that emphasize input validation and output encoding as fundamental defenses against XSS attacks.