CVE-2006-3153 in Ultimate Estate
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in index.pl in Ultimate Estate 1.0 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the cat parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/17/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-3153 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Ultimate Estate web application version 1.0 and earlier. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security issues. The specific flaw exists in the index.pl script where user input from the cat parameter is not properly sanitized or validated before being rendered back to users. This allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary HTML code or JavaScript payloads that execute in the context of other users' browsers when they access the affected web page.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a failure in input validation and output encoding practices within the web application's backend processing. When the cat parameter is submitted through HTTP requests to the index.pl script, the application directly incorporates this parameter value into the HTML response without appropriate sanitization measures. This creates an environment where attackers can craft malicious URLs containing script tags or other HTML elements that get executed when legitimate users browse to affected pages. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects the core functionality of the estate management application, potentially allowing attackers to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement. Attackers can leverage this XSS flaw to establish persistent malicious presence within the application's user base, potentially compromising multiple user sessions and accessing sensitive real estate data. The vulnerability affects all users of the Ultimate Estate application, making it a critical security concern for real estate businesses that rely on this platform for property listings and user interactions. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1531 Access Token Manipulation and T1213 Data from Information Repositories, as it enables unauthorized access to user data and session information through client-side exploitation. The risk is amplified by the fact that the vulnerability exists in the core indexing functionality, meaning that any property category or listing page could potentially serve as an attack vector.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the web application. The recommended approach involves sanitizing all user-supplied input through strict validation filters that remove or encode potentially dangerous characters such as angle brackets, script tags, and JavaScript protocols. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts can be loaded. The application should also employ proper output encoding when rendering user data back to web pages, ensuring that any special characters are properly escaped to prevent their interpretation as executable code. Security patches should be applied immediately to upgrade to versions of Ultimate Estate that have addressed this vulnerability through proper input sanitization and validation mechanisms. Organizations should also conduct regular security assessments and implement automated scanning tools to identify similar vulnerabilities in other web applications within their infrastructure, as the CWE-79 category encompasses numerous variations of cross-site scripting flaws that require consistent remediation approaches.