CVE-2006-6174 in tDiary
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in tDiary before 2.0.3 and 2.1.x before 2.1.4.20061126 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the conf parameter in (1) tdiary.rb and (2) skel/conf.rhtml.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/12/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-6174 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting tDiary versions prior to 2.0.3 and 2.1.x versions before 2.1.4.20061126. This weakness resides in the application's handling of user input within the conf parameter, which is processed in two primary files: tdiary.rb and skel/conf.rhtml. The vulnerability exposes the system to remote code execution risks where malicious actors can inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content directly into the application's response. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that allows attackers to execute scripts in the context of other users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the tDiary application fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied input from the conf parameter before rendering it in the web page output. When an attacker crafts malicious input containing script tags or other HTML elements and passes it through the conf parameter in either tdiary.rb or skel/conf.rhtml, the application processes this input without adequate validation, leading to the execution of unintended code within the victim's browser context. The flaw demonstrates a classic improper output encoding issue where the application assumes that user input will be benign and does not implement proper input sanitization mechanisms to prevent malicious content from being interpreted as executable code.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and redirection to malicious sites. When an authenticated user visits a page containing the malicious script, the code executes in their browser with the privileges of that user, potentially allowing attackers to access sensitive information or perform unauthorized actions on behalf of the victim. This vulnerability particularly affects web applications that rely on user input for configuration parameters, making it a significant concern for content management systems and web applications that do not properly validate user-supplied data. The attack vector is straightforward and can be executed through simple URL manipulation, making it highly exploitable in real-world scenarios.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-6174 require immediate patching of the affected tDiary versions to the secure releases mentioned in the advisory. Organizations should implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent user-supplied data from being interpreted as executable code. The recommended approach involves implementing strict sanitization of all user input, particularly parameters used for configuration settings, and ensuring that all dynamic content is properly escaped before being rendered in web pages. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter and demonstrates the importance of input validation as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten. System administrators should also consider implementing web application firewalls and content security policies to provide additional layers of protection against similar injection attacks. The fix typically involves updating the application code to properly escape or filter user input before processing, ensuring that any potentially malicious content is neutralized before it can be executed by the victim's browser.