CVE-2006-4760 in RSSOwl
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Benjamin Pasero and Tobias Eichert RSSOwl allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a web feed, as demonstrated by certain test cases of the Robert Auger and Caleb Sima RSS and Atom feed reader test suite.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/24/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-4760 represents a significant security flaw in RSSOwl, a popular desktop RSS feed reader application developed by Benjamin Pasero and Tobias Eichert. This vulnerability manifests as multiple cross-site scripting vulnerabilities that expose users to potential exploitation through malicious web feeds. The flaw specifically affects how the application processes and displays RSS or Atom feed content, creating an attack surface where remote adversaries can inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML code. The vulnerability was demonstrated through test cases from the Robert Auger and Caleb Sima RSS and Atom feed reader test suite, which provided concrete evidence of the exploitability of this flaw. The security implications are particularly concerning given that RSSOwl is designed to aggregate content from various sources, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to compromise user systems through malicious feed content. This vulnerability directly impacts the application's security model and user trust, as it allows attackers to execute code within the context of the user's browser session when processing compromised feeds.
The technical flaw underlying CVE-2006-4760 stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the RSSOwl application's feed processing mechanisms. When the application encounters maliciously crafted feed content, it fails to properly sanitize or escape special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code. This lack of proper sanitization creates a persistent cross-site scripting vulnerability where attacker-controlled content can be executed in the context of the RSSOwl application's user interface. The vulnerability specifically affects the way the application handles feed data during parsing and rendering, allowing malicious scripts to be embedded within feed elements such as titles, descriptions, or other metadata fields. This flaw falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a critical security weakness in web applications and desktop software that processes user-supplied data. The vulnerability's exploitation requires no special privileges or authentication, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered simply by loading a malicious feed into the application.
The operational impact of CVE-2006-4760 extends beyond simple data corruption or display issues, as it creates a potential vector for more sophisticated attacks including session hijacking, credential theft, and malware distribution. When users load compromised feeds into RSSOwl, the malicious scripts can execute within the application's context, potentially stealing cookies, session tokens, or other sensitive information. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to create persistent backdoors or redirect users to malicious websites that exploit additional vulnerabilities in their browsers or operating systems. The vulnerability also enables phishing attacks where users are tricked into believing they are interacting with legitimate content while actually being subjected to malicious code execution. Given that RSS readers are often used to access content from multiple sources including news feeds, blog updates, and social media aggregations, the attack surface is broad and the potential for widespread exploitation is significant. This vulnerability directly impacts the CIA triad by compromising confidentiality through potential data theft and integrity through malicious code execution.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-4760 should focus on both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements to prevent similar vulnerabilities. The most effective immediate solution involves implementing proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms throughout the RSSOwl application, ensuring that all feed data is properly escaped before being rendered to users. This approach aligns with the ATT&CK framework's mitigation strategies for web application vulnerabilities, particularly focusing on input validation and output encoding controls. Users should be advised to avoid loading feeds from untrusted sources and to keep their RSSOwl installations updated with the latest security patches. Organizations using RSSOwl in enterprise environments should consider implementing network-level filtering to prevent access to known malicious feeds and establish security policies around feed content validation. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of secure coding practices and regular security assessments of desktop applications that process external data sources, as the same principles that apply to web applications also apply to desktop software that handles user-supplied content. Implementation of proper security controls such as content security policies and regular code reviews can significantly reduce the risk of similar vulnerabilities in future versions of the application.