CVE-2006-1690 in MWNewsletter
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in subscribe.php in MWNewsletter 1.0.0b allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the user_name parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/24/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-1690 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the MWNewsletter 1.0.0b web application. This security weakness resides in the subscribe.php script which processes user input through the user_name parameter, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly encode or escape user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages.
This particular XSS vulnerability operates under the Common Weakness Enumeration classification of CWE-79 which specifically addresses "Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')". The flaw enables attackers to inject malicious payloads that can persist in the application's data storage and subsequently execute whenever other users view the affected content. The user_name parameter serves as the primary attack vector, where an attacker can craft a malicious input string containing script tags or other HTML elements that will be rendered in the browser context of legitimate users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it can facilitate more sophisticated attack vectors including session hijacking, credential theft, and redirection to malicious websites. When users with administrative privileges or other sensitive roles interact with the compromised application, attackers can potentially escalate their privileges or gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. The persistent nature of stored XSS vulnerabilities means that the malicious code remains active until explicitly removed from the application's database, creating a continuous threat to all users who encounter the compromised content.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-1690 should prioritize immediate implementation of proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The application must sanitize all user-supplied data by implementing strict validation rules that reject or escape potentially dangerous characters including angle brackets, script tags, and other HTML elements. According to the MITRE ATT&CK framework's methodology for web application attacks, this vulnerability would be categorized under T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript" and T1531 for "Account Access Removal'. Organizations should implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit script execution and utilize proper HTML entity encoding for all dynamic content generation. Additionally, the affected MWNewsletter version should be immediately upgraded to a patched release or replaced with a more secure alternative to eliminate this persistent security risk.