CVE-2006-1979 in mwguest
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in mwguest.php in Manic Web MWGuest 2.1.0 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the homepage parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/25/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-1979 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Manic Web MWGuest 2.1.0 web application. This security weakness resides in the mwguest.php script where user input is not properly sanitized or validated before being rendered in web responses. The specific parameter affected is the homepage field, which serves as an entry point for malicious actors to inject harmful scripts or HTML code into the application's output. This type of vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-79, which defines weaknesses related to improper neutralization of input during web output, making it particularly dangerous in web applications where user-generated content is displayed.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious payload and submits it through the homepage parameter of the mwguest.php script. When the application processes this input without adequate validation or sanitization, the injected script becomes part of the web page served to unsuspecting users. This allows attackers to execute malicious code within the victim's browser context, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious websites. The vulnerability's impact is amplified because it affects the core guestbook functionality where users expect to enter their homepage URLs, making the attack vector both accessible and believable to potential victims.
Operationally, this XSS vulnerability creates significant risks for web administrators and users of the Manic Web MWGuest application. Attackers can leverage this weakness to steal session cookies, potentially gaining unauthorized access to user accounts or administrative functions. The vulnerability also enables social engineering attacks where malicious scripts can manipulate the user interface to deceive visitors into performing unintended actions. Additionally, the persistence of such attacks means that any user who views the affected page may be compromised, creating a chain reaction of potential security breaches. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which focuses on use of web shells and malicious scripts to maintain access and execute commands on compromised systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-1979 should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The primary defense involves sanitizing all user input through proper validation techniques that reject or escape potentially harmful characters before processing. Web applications should employ context-aware output encoding to ensure that any user-supplied data is properly escaped when rendered in HTML contexts. Security patches should be applied immediately to update the Manic Web MWGuest application to versions that address this vulnerability. Organizations should also implement Content Security Policy headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts and establish regular security audits to identify similar input validation weaknesses. The remediation approach should align with industry best practices for preventing XSS vulnerabilities as outlined in OWASP Top Ten and similar security frameworks, emphasizing the importance of defense in depth strategies that combine multiple layers of protection.