CVE-2006-3166 in Free Realty
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in propview.php in Free Realty 2.9-0.6 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary web script or HTML via the sort parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/18/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-3166 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Free Realty 2.9-0.6 content management system, specifically affecting the propview.php component. This vulnerability resides in the application's handling of user-supplied input through the sort parameter, which is processed without adequate sanitization or output encoding mechanisms. The flaw enables remote attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute within the context of other users' browsers when they view property listings. The affected version range indicates this was a widespread issue affecting multiple iterations of the Free Realty platform, suggesting a fundamental flaw in the application's input validation architecture that persisted across several releases.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious URL containing script code within the sort parameter of the propview.php script. When a victim navigates to this crafted URL, the application fails to properly escape or validate the input before rendering it in the web page output. This allows the malicious script to execute in the victim's browser context, potentially stealing session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, or performing unauthorized actions on behalf of the victim. The vulnerability maps directly to CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which is a core weakness in web application security where input data is not properly sanitized before being incorporated into web pages. The attack vector falls under the category of reflected XSS, where the malicious payload is reflected off the web server and delivered to the victim's browser.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it creates a persistent threat vector that can be exploited across multiple user sessions. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to compromise user sessions, steal sensitive information, or manipulate the application's behavior to redirect users to phishing sites. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of the web application by allowing unauthorized code execution within user contexts. In a real-world scenario, this could lead to complete compromise of user accounts, unauthorized modifications to property listings, or data exfiltration from the application. The vulnerability also demonstrates poor security practices in input handling and output encoding, which are fundamental requirements for preventing XSS attacks according to industry standards and best practices.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-3166 require immediate implementation of proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The most effective approach involves implementing strict input validation that filters or rejects malicious characters before processing user-supplied data, combined with proper output encoding when displaying data within HTML contexts. The application should employ context-specific encoding techniques such as HTML entity encoding for HTML content, JavaScript encoding for script contexts, and URL encoding for URL parameters. Organizations should also implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks. The vulnerability highlights the importance of following secure coding practices as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and MITRE ATT&CK framework, specifically addressing techniques related to command injection and code injection that can lead to XSS exploitation. Regular security audits and input validation testing should be implemented to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future releases of the application.