CVE-2006-6868 in Web Shopping Cart
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Zen Cart Web Shopping Cart before 1.3.7 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/05/2017
The CVE-2006-6868 vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in Zen Cart Web Shopping Cart versions prior to 1.3.7, exposing web applications to multiple cross-site scripting attacks that can compromise user sessions and data integrity. This 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 inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability exists in the core shopping cart functionality where user input is not properly sanitized or validated before being rendered in web responses, creating an attack surface that can be exploited through various input vectors within the application's interface.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within Zen Cart's processing logic, where user-supplied data flows directly into HTML output without proper sanitization or encoding. Attackers can leverage this weakness by crafting malicious payloads that exploit the application's form fields, URL parameters, or other user-controllable inputs to inject script code that executes in the context of other users' browsers. These XSS vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they can be exploited to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive information such as cookies or login credentials, and manipulate the functionality of the web application from within the victim's browser environment. The unspecified vectors indicate that the vulnerability affects multiple areas of the application's user interface, making it particularly challenging to fully mitigate without comprehensive input validation.
The operational impact of CVE-2006-6868 extends beyond simple data theft, as successful exploitation can lead to complete compromise of user accounts and potentially the entire web application infrastructure. Attackers can leverage these vulnerabilities to perform session hijacking attacks, redirect users to malicious websites, or inject malicious content that can persist across multiple user sessions. The vulnerability creates a persistent threat that can be exploited by attackers without requiring authentication or privileged access to the application's backend systems. Organizations using affected versions of Zen Cart face significant risks including customer data breaches, loss of trust, potential regulatory penalties, and damage to their online commerce operations. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which involves the use of malicious scripts to gain access to user sessions and perform unauthorized actions within web applications.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-6868 must focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the Zen Cart application. Organizations should immediately upgrade to version 1.3.7 or later, which includes proper sanitization routines for user input and output encoding for HTML content. The recommended approach involves implementing proper context-aware encoding for all user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages, using techniques such as HTML entity encoding, JavaScript encoding, and URL encoding as appropriate for different contexts. Security measures should also include the implementation of Content Security Policy headers to prevent unauthorized script execution, regular security audits of application code, and input validation at multiple layers including client-side and server-side processing. Additionally, organizations should establish secure coding practices that align with OWASP Top Ten security guidelines and implement proper error handling to prevent information disclosure that could aid attackers in identifying additional vulnerabilities. The remediation process should also include comprehensive testing of the patched application to ensure that all XSS vectors have been properly addressed and that legitimate user functionality remains intact.