CVE-2006-3197 in IP.Board
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Invision Power Board (IPB) 2.1.6 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a POST that contains hexadecimal-encoded HTML.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/18/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-3197 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Invision Power Board version 2.1.6 and earlier installations. This security weakness specifically manifests in the application's handling of user input through POST requests that contain hexadecimal-encoded HTML content. The issue arises from insufficient validation and sanitization of data submitted through web forms, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary scripts within the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability affects web applications that process user-generated content without proper input filtering mechanisms, potentially compromising the integrity of the entire forum ecosystem.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly decode and validate hexadecimal-encoded input before processing user-submitted content. When users submit data containing hexadecimal-encoded HTML through POST requests, the IPB application does not adequately sanitize this input, allowing malicious code to persist within the application's database or session storage. This flaw operates at the application layer and specifically targets the input validation controls that should prevent potentially harmful content from being stored or displayed. The vulnerability is classified as a classic reflected XSS attack vector where malicious scripts are injected into web pages viewed by other users, creating a persistent threat within the forum environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it enables attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and redirection to malicious websites. Users who visit affected forum pages may unknowingly execute malicious scripts that can steal cookies, modify forum content, or redirect them to phishing sites. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of the forum by potentially compromising user trust, damaging the platform's reputation, and enabling attackers to gain unauthorized access to user accounts. Additionally, the persistence of malicious content through the POST request mechanism means that the vulnerability can be exploited repeatedly, making it particularly dangerous for long-term forum operations.
Security practitioners should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms to address this vulnerability effectively. The recommended mitigations include implementing strict validation of all user input through regular expressions and content filtering systems, applying proper HTML encoding to all output displayed to users, and implementing Content Security Policies to prevent script execution. Organizations should also consider implementing Web Application Firewalls to detect and block malicious POST requests containing hexadecimal-encoded content. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and the threat model corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1566 related to spearphishing attachments and links. The remediation process should involve thorough code review of input handling functions, implementation of proper sanitization libraries, and regular security testing to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future versions of the application.