CVE-2006-1577 in Mantis
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in view_all_set.php in Mantis 1.0.1, 1.0.0rc5, and earlier allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) start_day, (2) start_year, and (3) start_month parameters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/08/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-1577 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness affecting Mantis bug tracking software versions 1.0.1, 1.0.0rc5, and earlier. This flaw resides within the view_all_set.php script which processes user input parameters without adequate sanitization or validation. The vulnerability specifically targets three parameters: start_day, start_year, and start_month, which are commonly used in date filtering operations within the application's interface. These parameters are directly incorporated into the web page output without proper HTML escaping or encoding, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary JavaScript code or HTML content. The flaw demonstrates a classic input validation failure where user-supplied data flows directly into the application's output stream, violating fundamental security principles of input sanitization and output encoding.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when remote attackers craft malicious payloads containing script tags or other HTML content and submit them through the affected parameters. When the application processes these inputs and renders them in the web page, the injected code executes within the context of other users' browsers who view the affected page. This creates a persistent threat where a single malicious input can compromise multiple users who access the vulnerable application. The vulnerability maps directly to CWE-79 which defines Cross-Site Scripting as the improper handling of input data that is directly rendered to web browsers without adequate sanitization. This weakness allows attackers to perform session hijacking, deface web pages, steal sensitive information, or redirect users to malicious websites. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires no authentication or privileged access to exploit, making it a significant threat to any organization using vulnerable versions of Mantis.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or page defacement. Organizations running affected Mantis versions face potential compromise of their entire user base, as any user who accesses the vulnerable application becomes a potential victim of the XSS attack. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges, steal session cookies, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability also impacts the integrity of the application's data presentation layer, potentially allowing attackers to modify the application's interface or redirect users to phishing sites. From an attacker's perspective, the vulnerability provides a persistent foothold for further attacks within the network, as compromised user sessions can be used to access sensitive project information, modify bug reports, or even gain administrative access. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which describes the use of malicious code injection to gain access to sensitive data or system resources.
Organizations should immediately implement multiple layers of mitigation to address this vulnerability. The primary recommendation involves implementing strict input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied data, particularly date parameters in this case. This includes sanitizing the start_day, start_year, and start_month parameters by removing or encoding special characters such as angle brackets, quotes, and script tags. The application should also implement proper HTML escaping when rendering user input in web pages, ensuring that any potentially dangerous characters are converted to their safe HTML entities. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit the sources from which scripts can be executed within the application context. The most effective long-term solution involves upgrading to a patched version of Mantis that addresses this vulnerability, as the original affected versions contain multiple security flaws that may be exploited in combination. Security teams should also conduct regular security assessments of their web applications to identify similar input validation weaknesses and implement automated testing tools to detect potential XSS vulnerabilities in their codebase.