CVE-2006-6734 in Mini Web Shop
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in modules/viewcategory.php in Minh Nguyen Duong Obie Website Mini Web Shop 2.1.c allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the catname parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/28/2017
This cross-site scripting vulnerability exists in the Obie Website Mini Web Shop version 2.1.c, specifically within the modules/viewcategory.php script. The flaw occurs when the application fails to properly sanitize or encode user-supplied input passed through the catname parameter, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content. The vulnerability represents a classic reflected XSS attack vector where attacker-controlled data flows directly from the HTTP request into the web response without adequate validation or sanitization mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation practices within the web application's category viewing module. When users navigate to categories through the viewcategory.php script, the catname parameter is directly incorporated into the page output without proper HTML escaping or context-appropriate encoding. This allows attackers to craft malicious URLs containing script tags or other HTML elements that execute in the context of other users' browsers who visit the affected page. The vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses improper neutralization of input during web page generation, making it a fundamental web application security weakness.
From an operational impact perspective, this XSS vulnerability enables attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, redirection to malicious sites, and defacement of the web shop interface. An attacker could inject scripts that steal cookies or session tokens from authenticated users, potentially gaining unauthorized access to administrative functions or customer accounts. The vulnerability also allows for phishing attacks where users might be redirected to fraudulent sites designed to capture personal information or financial data. The reflected nature of this XSS means that attacks can be delivered through social engineering techniques, such as sending malicious links via email or instant messaging platforms.
The security implications extend beyond simple data theft to encompass complete compromise of user trust and application integrity. Users browsing the web shop could unknowingly execute malicious code that monitors their interactions, modifies page content, or redirects them to harmful destinations. This vulnerability demonstrates poor security practices in input handling and output encoding that violates fundamental web application security principles. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation, output encoding, and content security policies to prevent such vulnerabilities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this under T1566 - Phishing and T1203 - Exploitation for Credential Access, highlighting both the delivery mechanism and potential exploitation outcomes. Effective mitigations include implementing proper parameter validation, using context-appropriate output encoding, deploying web application firewalls, and conducting regular security testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in the application codebase.