CVE-2006-3820 in loudblog
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in loudblog/index.php in Loudblog before 0.5 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the page parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/01/2018
The CVE-2006-3820 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw in the Loudblog content management system prior to version 0.5. This vulnerability resides in the loudblog/index.php script where the page parameter is not properly sanitized before being rendered in the web application's output. The flaw allows remote attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML code through the page parameter, potentially compromising user sessions and data integrity. 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 flaws identified by the CWE organization. The vulnerability operates by bypassing input validation mechanisms that should normally filter or escape user-supplied data before it is processed and displayed to end users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the lack of proper input sanitization in the loudblog/index.php file where the page parameter is directly incorporated into the application's response without adequate security measures. When a user visits a maliciously crafted URL containing injected script code in the page parameter, the vulnerable application processes this input and executes the malicious code within the context of the victim's browser session. This creates a persistent threat vector that can be leveraged for session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious websites. The vulnerability demonstrates poor secure coding practices where user input is treated as trusted data rather than potentially harmful content that requires strict validation and sanitization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities including stealing session cookies, redirecting users to phishing sites, defacing the blog content, or even executing more sophisticated attacks through the compromised user sessions. The vulnerability affects all users of Loudblog versions prior to 0.5, making it particularly dangerous as it could potentially compromise a large number of installations. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability aligns with the ATT&CK technique T1531 for "Modify Existing Service" and T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript" as attackers can leverage the XSS to execute JavaScript code in user browsers. The vulnerability also represents a significant risk to the application's integrity and user trust, as it allows unauthorized modification of web content and potential data exfiltration.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-3820 should focus on immediate patching of the Loudblog application to version 0.5 or later where the vulnerability has been addressed. Organizations should implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent similar vulnerabilities in their web applications. The recommended approach involves sanitizing all user-supplied input through proper escaping techniques before rendering it in the application's output, implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution, and conducting regular security audits of web applications. Additionally, developers should follow secure coding guidelines that emphasize input validation, output encoding, and proper error handling to prevent such vulnerabilities from occurring in future implementations. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of implementing proper security controls throughout the software development lifecycle to prevent the introduction of XSS vulnerabilities.