CVE-2006-2840 in PmWiki
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in (1) uploads.php and (2) "url links" in PmWiki 2.1.6 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified parameters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/21/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-2840 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting PmWiki versions 2.1.6 and earlier. This security weakness resides in two primary locations within the application's codebase: the uploads.php script and the handling of url links functionality. The vulnerability class falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting attacks where untrusted data is improperly incorporated into web page content without proper sanitization or encoding mechanisms. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or unauthorized actions within the affected application environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the PmWiki application's parameter handling mechanisms. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious payloads that contain script tags or other HTML elements in unspecified parameters within the uploads.php script or url link processing functions. When these malformed inputs are processed and subsequently displayed without proper sanitization, the embedded malicious code executes in the victim's browser context. This behavior aligns with the ATT&CK technique T1566.001 which describes the exploitation of web applications through malicious input injection attacks, specifically targeting the web application layer for initial compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it creates a persistent threat vector that can be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can potentially steal session cookies, modify content displayed to other users, or redirect victims to malicious sites. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of PmWiki's file upload and link handling capabilities, making it particularly dangerous for collaborative environments where users frequently upload content or share links. The widespread use of PmWiki in content management and collaboration scenarios means that exploitation could compromise multiple user sessions and potentially lead to complete application takeover.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-2840 should prioritize immediate application updates to versions that address the XSS vulnerability, as the original PmWiki 2.1.6 and earlier releases are no longer supported. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application, specifically ensuring that all user-supplied data is properly sanitized before being processed or displayed. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection layers against script execution, while regular security audits of web application code should include thorough examination of parameter handling and input validation routines. Security practitioners should also consider deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious input patterns commonly associated with XSS attack vectors, and maintain detailed monitoring of application logs for signs of exploitation attempts.