CVE-2006-3625 in FLV Player
Summary
by MITRE
FLV Players 8 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via (1) a direct request to paginate.php or (2) an invalid p parameter to player.php, which reveal the path in an error message.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/16/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-3625 affects FLV Players version 8, a multimedia playback software commonly used for streaming video content. This issue represents a classic information disclosure vulnerability that occurs when the application fails to properly handle error conditions and user input validation. The flaw manifests in two distinct attack vectors that exploit the application's inadequate error handling mechanisms to expose sensitive system information to remote attackers. The vulnerability specifically targets two PHP scripts within the application's web interface: paginate.php and player.php, which are responsible for handling pagination and player functionality respectively.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to sanitize user input before processing requests to these specific endpoints. When attackers send direct requests to paginate.php or provide invalid values for the p parameter in player.php, the application generates error messages that contain full file system paths. This occurs because the software does not implement proper input validation or error handling procedures that would prevent sensitive path information from being exposed in error responses. The error messages are returned directly to the attacker without any sanitization, creating a situation where an attacker can obtain detailed information about the server's file structure and potentially the complete installation path of the vulnerable application.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the exposed file paths can provide attackers with crucial reconnaissance data for subsequent attacks. The leaked paths may reveal the root directory structure, application installation locations, and potentially sensitive configuration file locations that could be exploited in combination with other vulnerabilities. This information disclosure creates a foundation for more sophisticated attacks including directory traversal exploits, privilege escalation attempts, or targeted attacks against specific application components. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality aspect of the security triad by exposing sensitive system information that should remain private and protected from unauthorized access.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which specifically addresses information exposure, and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1083 for discovering system information. The flaw represents a fundamental security misconfiguration that violates basic security principles of input validation and error handling. Organizations should implement proper input sanitization measures and ensure that error messages do not contain sensitive system information. The recommended mitigations include implementing proper parameter validation, using generic error messages that do not expose system paths, and ensuring that all user input is properly sanitized before being processed by the application. Additionally, regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components and to ensure that error handling procedures follow security best practices. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper error handling in web applications and the potential consequences of failing to implement basic security controls.