CVE-2006-3306 in Project EROS bbsengine
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the preparestring funtion in lib/common.php in Project EROS bbsengine before 20060501-0142-jam, and possibly earlier versions dating back to 2006-02-23, might allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/16/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-3306 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Project EROS bbsengine software ecosystem. This issue specifically targets the preparestring function located in the lib/common.php file, which serves as a critical component for sanitizing user input before processing. The vulnerability exists in versions of the software released prior to 20060501-0142-jam, with potential exposure extending back to February 2006, indicating a prolonged window of exploitation risk. The affected software operates as a bulletin board system that processes user-generated content, making it particularly susceptible to malicious input injection attacks that could compromise user sessions and data integrity.
The technical implementation flaw stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization within the preparestring function, which fails to properly escape or filter special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code by web browsers. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically representing a reflected XSS attack vector where malicious scripts can be injected through user input fields and executed in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability's classification aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 which describes social engineering through malicious web content, making it a significant threat to user security within web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive information, manipulate data within the application, and potentially escalate privileges within the affected system. Users who interact with the bulletin board system could unknowingly execute malicious code that redirects them to phishing sites, steals cookies, or performs actions on their behalf without their knowledge. The vulnerability's presence in a bulletin board system particularly amplifies its risk since such platforms typically handle sensitive user communications and personal information, making them attractive targets for cybercriminals seeking to exploit user trust and access credentials.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of the affected software to the corrected version 20060501-0142-jam or later, which implements proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should also implement comprehensive input validation at multiple layers, including the application firewall level and web application security controls. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers, proper HTML escaping of user-generated content, and regular security audits of input handling functions should be enforced to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in the future. Additionally, security teams should conduct thorough penetration testing to identify other potential injection points within the application and establish robust monitoring systems to detect anomalous behavior indicative of XSS attacks. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of input validation and output encoding in web application security, particularly for legacy systems that may not have been designed with modern security practices in mind.