CVE-2006-1714 in phpMyForum
Summary
by MITRE
CRLF injection vulnerability in index.php in Christoph Roeder phpMyForum 4.0 allows remote attackers to inject HTTP headers via hex-encoded CRLF sequences in the type parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/24/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-1714 represents a critical cross-site scripting and header injection flaw within the phpMyForum 4.0 application. This issue specifically affects the index.php script where user input is improperly validated and sanitized before being processed. The vulnerability stems from the application's failure to adequately filter or escape special characters, particularly those representing carriage return and line feed sequences. Attackers can exploit this weakness by submitting hex-encoded CRLF sequences through the type parameter, which are then interpreted by the web server as legitimate HTTP header terminators. This allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary HTTP headers into the response, potentially enabling session hijacking, cache poisoning, or redirection attacks. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-113 category for Improper Neutralization of CRLF Sequences in HTTP Headers, which is a well-documented weakness in web application security. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a significant risk for web applications that rely on phpMyForum for community management and discussion platforms. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires no authentication and can be executed remotely, making it accessible to any attacker with knowledge of the target application's URL structure. The hex-encoded nature of the input makes detection more challenging for traditional security controls, as the malicious sequences are obfuscated during transmission. This vulnerability directly maps to attack techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1566 for Phishing and T1071 for Application Layer Protocol, specifically targeting the HTTP protocol. The impact extends beyond simple header injection, as successful exploitation can lead to complete session compromise and unauthorized access to user data. Organizations using this version of phpMyForum face a substantial risk of credential theft and unauthorized content manipulation, particularly in environments where the forum handles sensitive user information or serves as a gateway to other internal systems. The vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental lack of input validation and output encoding practices that are essential for modern web application security. Security professionals should note that this issue is particularly dangerous because it can be leveraged to perform cache poisoning attacks against proxy servers and content delivery networks, amplifying the potential impact of the vulnerability. The exploitation of this vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper parameter validation and the implementation of robust input sanitization routines. Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including input validation, output encoding, and the application of security patches. The vulnerability serves as a critical reminder of the importance of adhering to secure coding practices and the necessity of regular security assessments to identify and remediate such flaws in legacy web applications. Given the age of the affected software version, upgrading to a supported and patched version represents the most effective long-term solution to address this security weakness.