CVE-2006-1675 in PHPWebGallery
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in PHPWebGallery 1.4.1 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) cat, (2) num, and (3) search parameters to (a) category.php, and the (4) slideshow, (5) show_metadata, and (6) start parameters to (b) picture.php, a different vulnerability than CVE-2006-1674.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/18/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-1675 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness affecting PHPWebGallery version 1.4.1. This security flaw enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions on behalf of victims. The vulnerability specifically targets multiple parameters across two distinct PHP files, creating a multi-vector attack surface that significantly increases the exploitability and impact potential.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization within the PHPWebGallery application. Attackers can inject malicious payloads through several parameter names including cat, num, and search in the category.php file, while also targeting slideshow, show_metadata, and start parameters in picture.php. These parameters are processed without proper sanitization, allowing malicious code to be executed when the affected pages render user-provided content. The vulnerability manifests as reflected XSS, where the injected scripts are immediately reflected back to users browsing the affected gallery pages.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities within the gallery environment. An attacker could craft malicious URLs with embedded scripts that would execute whenever other users view the gallery, potentially stealing session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, or modifying gallery content. The vulnerability affects both category and picture display functionalities, meaning that any user who accesses these gallery sections could become compromised. This creates a persistent threat vector that remains active as long as the vulnerable version of PHPWebGallery remains deployed.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and demonstrates the classic pattern of insufficient input sanitization. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566.001 - Phishing via Social Media and T1566.002 - Spearphishing via Social Media, as attackers could leverage this vulnerability to deliver malicious payloads through gallery links shared in social contexts. Additionally, the vulnerability could support T1071.001 - Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocols, as it exploits HTTP request parameters to deliver malicious content. The attack requires no special privileges beyond access to the vulnerable web application, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by anyone with knowledge of the target system's URL structure and parameter names.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate input validation and output encoding within the affected PHP files. The most effective approach involves implementing proper parameter sanitization before any user input is processed or displayed, particularly for the vulnerable parameters cat, num, search, slideshow, show_metadata, and start. Regular updates and patches to PHPWebGallery should be implemented immediately, as version 1.4.1 is likely to contain multiple vulnerabilities beyond this specific XSS flaw. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers and using proper HTML escaping techniques in all output generation can provide defense-in-depth measures against similar vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious parameter injection attempts, while monitoring for anomalous user behavior patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.