CVE-2006-1645 in ReloadCMS
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Anton Vlasov and Rostislav Gaitkuloff ReloadCMS 1.2.5 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML and gain leverage to execute arbitrary PHP code via the User-Agent HTTP header, which is displayed by admin/modules/general/statistic.php in the administration panel.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/22/2018
This cross-site scripting vulnerability exists within ReloadCMS version 1.2.5 and earlier, representing a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to execute malicious code through HTTP header manipulation. The vulnerability specifically targets the administration panel where user agent strings are displayed without proper sanitization, creating an avenue for attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts and HTML content. The flaw resides in the admin/modules/general/statistic.php file which processes and displays user agent information, making it susceptible to XSS exploitation. This vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which defines cross-site scripting as the failure to properly sanitize user input before rendering it in web applications. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it leverages the User-Agent HTTP header, a standard component of web requests that is often overlooked during security validation processes.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple XSS exploitation, as it provides attackers with the capability to execute arbitrary PHP code within the context of the web application. This escalation allows malicious actors to gain unauthorized access to administrative functions, potentially leading to complete system compromise. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent backdoors, modify content, steal sensitive information, or even escalate privileges to gain full control over the CMS installation. The vulnerability's presence in the administration panel makes it particularly dangerous as it directly targets privileged users who have elevated access rights. According to ATT&CK framework, this represents a technique categorized under T1566 for initial access and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter, demonstrating how a single XSS flaw can enable multiple attack phases.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal prerequisites and can be executed through simple HTTP header manipulation techniques. Attackers need only craft a malicious User-Agent string containing embedded JavaScript or PHP code that will be executed when viewed by administrators in the statistics module. This type of attack is particularly insidious because it can be carried out without direct user interaction, making it difficult to detect through traditional security monitoring approaches. The vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation practices and inadequate output encoding mechanisms, which are fundamental security principles that should be implemented at every layer of web application development. Organizations using affected versions of ReloadCMS face significant risk of unauthorized access, data breaches, and potential system compromise due to this flaw. The combination of remote code execution capability and administrative access points makes this vulnerability particularly attractive to threat actors.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of the affected CMS version to address the root cause of the vulnerability. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent similar issues in other components of their web applications. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities across all application components. The implementation of web application firewalls and content security policies can provide additional layers of protection against such attacks. Security teams should also establish monitoring procedures to detect anomalous User-Agent patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Given the nature of this vulnerability and its potential for privilege escalation, organizations should consider implementing principle of least privilege access controls and regular security updates as part of their overall security posture. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper input sanitization and output encoding in preventing cross-site scripting attacks that can lead to complete system compromise.