CVE-2006-1900 in Amaya
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple buffer overflows in World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Amaya 9.4, and possibly other versions including 8.x before 8.8.5, allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a long value in (1) the COMPACT attribute of the COLGROUP element, (2) the ROWS attribute of the TEXTAREA element, and (3) the COLOR attribute of the LEGEND element; and via other unspecified attack vectors consisting of "dozens of possible snippets."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/02/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-1900 represents a critical buffer overflow issue affecting the W3C Amaya web browser and editor software version 9.4 and earlier versions including 8.x before 8.8.5. This flaw exposes the application to remote code execution attacks through carefully crafted HTML input that exceeds buffer boundaries in specific HTML element attributes. The vulnerability impacts the core parsing functionality of the Amaya application, which is designed to handle web content and HTML markup. Buffer overflow vulnerabilities of this nature typically arise when programs fail to properly validate input length before copying data into fixed-size memory buffers, creating opportunities for attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations.
The technical exploitation occurs through three primary attack vectors involving specific HTML attributes within different elements. The first vector targets the COMPACT attribute of the COLGROUP element where a lengthy value can cause buffer overflow during parsing. The second vector exploits the ROWS attribute of the TEXTAREA element, while the third targets the COLOR attribute of the LEGEND element. These specific elements represent common HTML form controls and structural components that are frequently encountered in web content. The vulnerability's scope extends beyond these three identified attributes to include "dozens of possible snippets" suggesting a broader pattern of similar buffer overflow conditions throughout the application's HTML parsing codebase. This pattern aligns with common software security flaws categorized under CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, which covers heap-based buffer overflow conditions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on systems running affected versions of Amaya. This capability allows attackers to gain complete control over vulnerable systems, potentially leading to data breaches, system compromise, and further network infiltration. The attack vector requires only that a victim accesses a malicious webpage containing the crafted HTML content, making it particularly dangerous for web-based applications and content management systems. The vulnerability's exploitation does not require authentication or specialized privileges, making it accessible to any attacker with knowledge of the specific HTML structures. This characteristic places the vulnerability in the ATT&CK framework category of T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution, which involves using vulnerabilities to execute code on client systems.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve immediate software updates to versions that address the buffer overflow conditions. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all affected systems receive updates promptly. Additionally, input validation measures should be strengthened at multiple levels including application-level sanitization of HTML content and network-level filtering of suspicious web content. Security monitoring should focus on detecting attempts to access vulnerable systems with malicious HTML content, particularly targeting the specific HTML elements mentioned in the vulnerability description. The vulnerability's nature suggests that defensive programming practices including bounds checking, memory safety validations, and proper input length verification should be implemented throughout the application's codebase to prevent similar issues from occurring in future versions.