CVE-2006-3089 in PhpMyFactures
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in PhpMyFactures 1.0, and possibly 1.2 and earlier, allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) prefixe_dossier parameter in (a) /inc/header.php; (2) msg parameter in (b) /remises/ajouter_remise.php, (c) /tva/ajouter_tva.php, (d) /stocks/ajouter.php, (e) /pays/ajouter_pays.php, (f) /produits/ajouter_cat.php, (g) /produits/ajouter_produit.php and (h) /produits/modifier_cat.php; (3) tire parameter in /remises/ajouter_remise.php; (4) quantite, (5) taux and (6) date parameter in /stocks/ajouter.php; and (7) pays and (8) prefixe parameter in /pays/ajouter_pays.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/07/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-3089 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness affecting PhpMyFactures version 1.0 and potentially 1.2 and earlier releases. This vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the application's web interface, creating multiple entry points where malicious actors can inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript code. The flaw exists across several key administrative and data management scripts, making it particularly dangerous as it affects core business functionality including invoice management, tax calculations, inventory tracking, and country configuration. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited by remote attackers without requiring any authentication or privileged access, making it highly accessible to threat actors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through improper handling of user-supplied parameters in various HTTP requests. Specifically, the prefixe_dossier parameter in /inc/header.php and msg parameters across multiple files including /remises/ajouter_remise.php, /tva/ajouter_tva.php, /stocks/ajouter.php, /pays/ajouter_pays.php, /produits/ajouter_cat.php, /produits/ajouter_produit.php, and /produits/modifier_cat.php demonstrate a consistent pattern of inadequate input filtering. Additionally, the tire parameter in remises/ajouter_remise.php and multiple parameters including quantite, taux, and date in stocks/ajouter.php further expand the attack surface. The pays and prefixe parameters in /pays/ajouter_pays.php represent additional vectors where unvalidated user input is directly incorporated into web responses. This vulnerability maps directly to CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which is classified as a fundamental weakness in web application security. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this under T1566.001: Phishing, as the XSS vulnerabilities can be leveraged to create malicious web pages that deceive users into executing harmful actions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data corruption or display issues. Attackers can leverage these XSS flaws to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, deface web pages, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The exploitation of these vulnerabilities in a business context could lead to significant financial losses, data breaches, and reputational damage. Since the affected application appears to be an invoicing and inventory management system, successful exploitation could provide attackers with access to sensitive business data, customer information, and financial records. The vulnerability affects multiple modules simultaneously, suggesting a systemic security issue in the application's architecture rather than isolated incidents. This makes the overall impact more severe as attackers can potentially chain these vulnerabilities together to create more sophisticated attack vectors. The lack of proper input validation across these parameters indicates a fundamental flaw in the application's security design principles.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms across all user-supplied parameters. The primary remediation involves sanitizing all input data before processing and ensuring that any user-generated content is properly escaped when rendered in web responses. This can be achieved through the implementation of proper HTML entity encoding, the use of secure coding practices, and the adoption of parameterized queries where applicable. Organizations should also implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the execution of malicious scripts and establish proper input validation routines that reject or sanitize potentially harmful characters. The solution aligns with security best practices outlined in OWASP Top Ten and NIST Cybersecurity Framework, specifically addressing the need for secure input handling and output encoding. Additionally, regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other parts of the application. Given the age of the affected version, upgrading to a patched version or migrating to a more secure alternative represents the most effective long-term solution. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in web applications and serves as a reminder of the potential consequences when security considerations are not properly integrated into the development lifecycle.