CVE-2006-4751 in Expandable Home Page Cms
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in index.php in Laurentiu Matei eXpandable Home Page (XHP) CMS 0.5.1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the errcode parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/22/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-4751 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Laurentiu Matei eXpandable Home Page (XHP) CMS version 0.5.1. This particular weakness exists in the index.php script and specifically targets the errcode parameter, creating a pathway for remote attackers to execute malicious code within the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability falls under the category of input validation failures that have been classified by CWE-79 as the primary weakness for cross-site scripting attacks, making it a critical concern for web application security.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious URL containing script code within the errcode parameter and delivers it to unsuspecting users. When victims navigate to this crafted URL, the malicious script executes in their browser within the security context of the vulnerable CMS, potentially allowing attackers to steal session cookies, deface websites, or redirect users to malicious sites. The flaw demonstrates a failure to properly sanitize user input before incorporating it into web page output, which directly violates the principle of input validation and output encoding that forms the foundation of secure web application development practices.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive information, or manipulate the functionality of the affected website. Given that XHP CMS was designed as a content management system, the compromise of such a platform could lead to complete website defacement, unauthorized content modification, or even serve as a stepping stone for further attacks against the underlying infrastructure. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require physical access to the system or local network privileges to exploit it, making it particularly dangerous in environments where public-facing web applications are deployed.
Security professionals should implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate this vulnerability, beginning with immediate patching of the affected CMS version and implementing proper input validation mechanisms that sanitize all user-supplied data before processing. The remediation strategy should include the application of the principle of least privilege by ensuring that all user inputs are properly escaped or encoded before being rendered in web pages. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and content security policies to provide additional protection against similar attacks. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which describes social engineering tactics involving the delivery of malicious payloads through web-based attacks, and represents a clear violation of the secure coding practices recommended in the OWASP Top Ten and ISO 27001 security standards.