CVE-2006-2874 in OSADS Alliance Database
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in OSADS Alliance Database before 1.4 has unknown impact and attack vectors related to a "Security Leak to lock in HTML-Code," possibly due to a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability involving comments.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/16/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-2874 affects the OSADS Alliance Database software version 1.3 and earlier, representing a significant security weakness that could potentially allow unauthorized access or manipulation of database content. This unspecified vulnerability specifically relates to a security leak that occurs when HTML code is locked in, suggesting a fundamental flaw in how the system processes and sanitizes user input. The issue manifests through comments functionality, indicating that the database's handling of user-generated content creates exploitable conditions that could be leveraged by malicious actors.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with cross-site scripting (XSS) attack patterns, as referenced in CWE-79, which categorizes improper neutralization of input during web page generation as a critical weakness. When HTML code is locked in through comments, the system likely fails to properly sanitize or escape special characters that could be interpreted as executable code by web browsers. This creates an environment where attackers can inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or unauthorized actions within the database application's interface. The specific mechanism involves the database's failure to properly handle HTML encoding or filtering when processing comment submissions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data integrity concerns, as it represents a potential gateway for more sophisticated attacks within the application ecosystem. Attackers could exploit this weakness to manipulate database content, potentially altering or deleting records through injected scripts that execute in the context of legitimate users. The security leak aspect suggests that the vulnerability may also enable unauthorized access to sensitive information or bypass authentication mechanisms, depending on how the HTML injection is structured and what privileges are granted to users. This type of vulnerability particularly threatens web applications that rely on user comments or content submission features, as these represent common attack vectors in database management systems.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's data handling processes. The solution requires strict sanitization of all user input, particularly when processing HTML content, as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten security principles and aligned with ATT&CK technique T1212 for Exploitation for Credential Access. Organizations should implement proper HTML escaping and content security policies that prevent script execution within comment fields and other user-generated content areas. Regular security audits and code reviews should specifically target input validation routines, while the database system should be updated to version 1.4 or later where the vulnerability has been addressed through proper HTML sanitization and security hardening measures. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and monitoring systems can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts targeting this specific weakness.