CVE-2006-6534 in osCommerce
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in osCommerce 3.0a3 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) set parameter to admin/modules.php, the (2) selected_box parameter to definitiva/admin/customers.php, the (3) lID parameter to admin/languages_definitions.php, or the (4) pID parameter to admin/products.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/10/2018
The CVE-2006-6534 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting osCommerce 3.0a3 e-commerce platform, demonstrating a fundamental weakness in input validation and output sanitization mechanisms. This vulnerability classifies under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting vulnerabilities, where web applications fail to properly validate or escape user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages. The flaw manifests in four distinct attack vectors within the administrative interface, each presenting unique exploitation opportunities for malicious actors seeking to compromise the system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through four specific parameters that are processed without adequate sanitization measures. The set parameter in admin/modules.php, selected_box in definitiva/admin/customers.php, lID in admin/languages_definitions.php, and pID in admin/products.php all accept user input directly from HTTP requests without proper validation or encoding. This allows attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of authenticated administrator sessions, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability stems from the application's failure to implement proper input filtering mechanisms, specifically the absence of output encoding for dynamic content generation.
The operational impact of CVE-2006-6534 is severe and multifaceted, as it enables attackers to exploit authenticated administrative interfaces and gain elevated privileges within the osCommerce system. Successful exploitation could result in unauthorized modification of product catalogs, customer data manipulation, financial transaction tampering, and potential complete system takeover. The attack surface is particularly concerning because the administrative interface typically possesses full system access, making this vulnerability a prime target for attackers seeking persistent access. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059 which covers command and scripting interpreter usage, as the injected scripts could be used to establish backdoors or execute further malicious commands.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of input validation and output encoding measures across all affected parameters. Organizations should implement proper parameter sanitization using established libraries and frameworks that automatically escape or encode user-supplied data before processing. The solution must include comprehensive input validation that rejects or sanitizes potentially malicious content, particularly JavaScript code, HTML tags, and other scripting constructs. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers and adopting a principle of least privilege for administrative accounts would significantly reduce the attack surface. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the web application stack. The remediation process must also include proper security training for developers to prevent similar issues in future code development cycles, ensuring that all user inputs are properly validated and escaped before being processed by the application.