CVE-2006-1290 in Milkeyway Captive Portal
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Milkeyway Captive Portal 0.1 and 0.1.1 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) ipAddress, (2) act, (3) username, and (4) unspecified other parameters in (a) authuser.php; and the (5) username and (6) unspecified other parameters in (b) userstatistics.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-1290 represents a critical security flaw in the Milkeyway Captive Portal version 0.1 and 0.1.1 software implementations. This vulnerability manifests as multiple cross-site scripting vulnerabilities that enable remote attackers to execute malicious web scripts and HTML code within the context of affected web applications. The flaw specifically impacts two distinct PHP scripts within the captive portal framework, creating attack vectors that can compromise user sessions and potentially lead to unauthorized access to network resources. The vulnerability affects the authentication and user statistics functionality of the captive portal system, making it a significant concern for network administrators and security professionals managing wireless access points and network authentication systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding within the affected PHP scripts. The flaw occurs when the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied parameters before incorporating them into web responses. Specifically, parameters including ipAddress, act, username, and unspecified other variables in the authuser.php script, along with username and other unspecified parameters in userstatistics.php, are processed without adequate sanitization measures. This processing allows attackers to inject malicious payloads that execute in the context of legitimate users' browsers. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which categorizes cross-site scripting as a code injection flaw where untrusted data is embedded into web pages without proper validation or encoding, making it a direct implementation of the classic XSS attack pattern.
The operational impact of CVE-2006-1290 extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal user credentials, redirect users to malicious websites, and potentially gain unauthorized access to network resources. When users interact with the captive portal system, particularly during authentication or statistics viewing processes, their browsers may execute the injected malicious code, which could include JavaScript that captures session cookies, redirects to phishing sites, or performs other harmful actions. The vulnerability affects both the authentication mechanism and user statistics functionality, creating potential attack surfaces where users might be tricked into executing malicious code while performing routine network access activities. This type of vulnerability can be particularly dangerous in public or enterprise wireless environments where users trust the captive portal for network access and authentication.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding practices throughout the affected applications. The most effective approach involves sanitizing all user-supplied input parameters before processing or displaying them within web responses, utilizing proper HTML encoding techniques to prevent script execution. Security professionals should implement strict parameter validation rules that reject or sanitize potentially dangerous characters and sequences that could be used in XSS attacks. Additionally, the implementation of Content Security Policy headers and proper session management controls can help reduce the impact of successful XSS exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious input patterns, as well as conducting regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in network infrastructure components. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure coding practices and input validation in web applications, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script injection and T1566 for credential access through compromised authentication systems.