CVE-2006-2174 in Virtual Hosting Control System
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in admin/server_day_stats.php in Virtual Hosting Control System (VHCS) allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) day, (2) month, or (3) year parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/21/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-2174 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness within the Virtual Hosting Control System administration interface. This particular flaw exists in the admin/server_day_stats.php component of the VHCS platform, which serves as a centralized management interface for hosting control operations. The vulnerability affects the system's ability to properly sanitize user input parameters, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute unauthorized code within the context of authenticated user sessions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the server statistics reporting module. Attackers can exploit three distinct parameter injection points corresponding to day, month, and year values in the URL parameters. When these parameters are processed without proper sanitization, malicious scripts can be injected and subsequently executed when the statistics page is rendered. This represents a classic reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability where the malicious payload is reflected back to the user through the application's response. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-site Scripting flaws in web applications, and follows the ATT&CK technique T1190 for Exploit Public-Facing Application targeting web interfaces.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive administrative credentials, or manipulate system configurations. Since the affected component is part of the administrative interface, successful exploitation could lead to complete system compromise. Attackers could potentially redirect users to malicious sites, deface the control panel, or establish persistent backdoors within the hosting environment. The vulnerability's exploitation requires no special privileges beyond basic web access, making it particularly dangerous in multi-tenant hosting environments where administrative access could provide lateral movement opportunities.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate input validation and output encoding implementation within the VHCS application. The recommended approach involves implementing strict parameter validation for all user-supplied inputs, including the use of allowlists for acceptable date formats and values. Additionally, proper HTML escaping and output encoding should be enforced when displaying user-provided data in the statistics interface. Security patches should include the implementation of Content Security Policy headers to prevent unauthorized script execution. Organizations should also implement regular security assessments and input validation testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components. The remediation process should follow industry standards such as OWASP Top Ten recommendations for preventing XSS vulnerabilities and implementing proper secure coding practices as outlined in the OWASP Secure Coding Practices.