CVE-2006-2249 in CuteNews
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in search.php in CuteNews 1.4.1 and earlier, and possibly 1.4.5, allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) user, (2) story, or (3) title parameters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/19/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-2249 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting CuteNews versions 1.4.1 and earlier, with potential impact extending to version 1.4.5. This vulnerability resides within the search.php script of the CuteNews content management system, which is a lightweight web publishing platform designed for small websites and blogs. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly filter user-supplied data before rendering it within web pages. The vulnerability specifically affects three distinct parameter inputs: user, story, and title, which are commonly used in search functionality to filter content based on various criteria. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious payloads containing script tags or other HTML content that gets executed in the context of other users' browsers when they view search results.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which classifies cross-site scripting as a code injection flaw where untrusted data is embedded into web pages viewed by other users. This particular implementation demonstrates a classic reflected XSS attack vector where malicious input is immediately reflected back to the user without proper sanitization or encoding. The attack occurs when the web application processes user input through the search.php script without first escaping special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code. When a victim visits a page containing the maliciously crafted search query, their browser executes the injected script, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious websites. The vulnerability's impact is amplified because CuteNews is often used in environments where users may have administrative privileges, increasing the potential for privilege escalation attacks.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant security risks for websites running affected versions of CuteNews. Remote attackers can leverage the XSS flaw to execute arbitrary code in victims' browsers, potentially compromising user sessions through cookie theft or redirecting users to phishing sites. The attack requires minimal technical skill and can be automated, making it particularly dangerous for widespread exploitation. The vulnerability affects not only individual user accounts but also the overall integrity of the website's content and user trust. Organizations using CuteNews in production environments face potential data breaches, reputational damage, and compliance violations if this vulnerability remains unpatched. The reflected nature of the attack means that successful exploitation does not require persistent access to the target system, as attackers can simply craft malicious URLs and distribute them through social engineering or other means to achieve their objectives.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves immediate patching of the CuteNews application to version 1.4.2 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the XSS vulnerabilities. System administrators should also implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms at the application level, ensuring that all user-supplied data is properly sanitized before being rendered in web pages. This includes implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution and using proper HTML encoding for all dynamic content. Additionally, organizations should conduct regular security assessments of their web applications, including input validation testing and vulnerability scanning to identify similar issues. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1059.007 technique for script injection, highlighting the importance of implementing robust application security controls. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth, though they should not be considered a replacement for proper code-level fixes. Regular security updates and patch management processes should be established to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in the future, emphasizing the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date software components in web applications.