CVE-2006-3149 in phpMyForum
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in topic.php in phpMyForum 4.1.3 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the highlight parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/29/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-3149 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the phpMyForum 4.1.3 software ecosystem, specifically targeting the topic.php script. This issue falls under the broader category of web application security weaknesses that have persisted as fundamental threats to user data integrity and system confidentiality for over a decade. The vulnerability manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user input received through the highlight parameter, creating an exploitable entry point for malicious actors seeking to inject unauthorized scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the phpMyForum application framework. When users interact with forum topics and utilize the highlighting functionality, the application processes the highlight parameter without adequate sanitization measures. This parameter typically accepts user-defined text or identifiers that should be used to emphasize specific content within forum discussions. However, the absence of proper input filtering allows attackers to submit malicious payloads that contain embedded script tags or other HTML constructs. The vulnerability is classified as a reflected XSS attack since the malicious input is immediately reflected back to users without proper encoding or validation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption or display issues, potentially enabling attackers to execute arbitrary code within the context of users' browsers. This capability allows malicious actors to perform actions such as stealing session cookies, redirecting users to phishing sites, defacing forum content, or even executing more sophisticated attacks through the compromised user sessions. The vulnerability affects all users of phpMyForum versions 4.1.3 and earlier, creating a widespread security risk across numerous installations. Attackers can craft malicious URLs containing the highlight parameter with embedded JavaScript payloads that execute when other users view the affected forum topics. This type of vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and can lead to complete compromise of user sessions and potential lateral movement within network environments where the forum is deployed.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with the Common Weakness Enumeration classification under CWE-79, which specifically addresses "Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')". This weakness category encompasses various forms of XSS vulnerabilities where applications fail to properly validate and sanitize user inputs before incorporating them into web page content. Additionally, this vulnerability maps to the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the technique T1059.007, which describes "Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript," indicating how attackers can leverage JavaScript injection capabilities to execute malicious commands within user browsers. The exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal technical expertise, making it particularly dangerous as it can be readily weaponized by threat actors of varying skill levels.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve immediate implementation of input validation and output encoding measures. The primary solution requires developers to sanitize all user inputs, particularly parameters like highlight, through proper HTML entity encoding before rendering them in web pages. This approach ensures that any potentially malicious script content is treated as literal text rather than executable code. System administrators should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to upgrade phpMyForum installations to versions that address this vulnerability, as the developers of the software have likely released security patches. Additional protective measures include implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution contexts, deploying web application firewalls to detect and block malicious requests, and conducting regular security audits to identify similar input validation gaps within the application. Organizations should also consider implementing user input monitoring and anomaly detection systems to identify potential exploitation attempts. The remediation process must include thorough testing to ensure that the applied fixes do not introduce new functionality issues while effectively neutralizing the XSS threat vector.