CVE-2006-5703 in Tikiwiki
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in tiki-featured_link.php in Tikiwiki 1.9.5 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a url parameter that evades filtering, as demonstrated by a parameter value containing malformed, nested SCRIPT elements.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/26/2026
The CVE-2006-5703 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in Tikiwiki version 1.9.5 within the featured_link.php component. This vulnerability specifically targets the application's handling of the url parameter, which fails to properly sanitize user input before rendering it in web pages. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of other users' browsers, potentially compromising user sessions and data integrity. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it demonstrates an evasion technique where attackers can bypass existing filtering mechanisms through the use of malformed nested SCRIPT elements, suggesting a weakness in the application's input validation and output encoding processes.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious URL parameter containing specially formatted HTML or JavaScript code that is then processed by the tiki-featured_link.php script. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input sanitization where the application does not adequately filter or encode user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web content. This allows attackers to inject script tags or other malicious code that executes in the victim's browser when the page is rendered. The specific evasion technique involving malformed nested SCRIPT elements indicates that the filtering mechanisms in place are not comprehensive enough to detect and neutralize all forms of malicious input, particularly when such input attempts to circumvent standard sanitization approaches through obfuscation or structural manipulation.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to Tikiwiki installations as it can lead to session hijacking, credential theft, data manipulation, and potential redirection to malicious sites. The impact extends beyond individual user compromise to affect the entire application ecosystem, potentially enabling attackers to gain persistent access to sensitive information or to modify content within the wiki environment. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation can occur from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to the target system, making it particularly dangerous for web applications. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, while from an ATT&CK framework perspective, it aligns with T1059.007 for script execution and T1566 for social engineering through malicious web content.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-5703 should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. The primary fix involves ensuring that all user-supplied input is properly sanitized before being processed or displayed in web pages, with particular attention to URL parameters and other dynamic content sources. Implementing proper HTML entity encoding for all output content prevents script execution even when malicious input is somehow bypassed. Additionally, organizations should deploy web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious input patterns, and implement Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution capabilities in browser contexts. Regular security audits and input validation testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the application. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of keeping software updated, as newer versions of Tikiwiki would have addressed such security issues through improved sanitization routines and more comprehensive filtering mechanisms.