CVE-2007-1096 in VirtueMart
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in ps_cart.php in VirtueMart before 20070116 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors. NOTE: this issue might overlap CVE-2007-0376.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/20/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-1096 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the VirtueMart e-commerce platform, specifically affecting the ps_cart.php component. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security issues. The vulnerability existed in VirtueMart versions prior to the 20070116 release, indicating that it was a significant security gap that affected numerous users of the platform during that period. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that the attack could potentially occur through multiple entry points or methods, making the vulnerability particularly concerning for security professionals who must consider all possible attack surfaces.
The technical nature of this XSS vulnerability allows remote attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML code into the web application's response. This injection typically occurs when user input is not properly sanitized or validated before being rendered back to other users. In the context of VirtueMart, which is a PHP-based e-commerce solution, the ps_cart.php file likely handles shopping cart functionality and user interactions that could be exploited to inject malicious payloads. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive user information, manipulate data, or redirect users to malicious websites. The fact that this vulnerability overlaps with CVE-2007-0376 indicates that multiple related issues were present in the same software component, suggesting a broader architectural problem within the VirtueMart codebase that required comprehensive security review and remediation.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability would have posed significant risks to online stores using affected versions of VirtueMart. Attackers could exploit the XSS flaw to compromise user sessions, steal credit card information, manipulate product listings, or spread malware to other users visiting the compromised site. The remote nature of the attack means that malicious actors could exploit this vulnerability from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to the system. This particular vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 for 'Modify Application Configuration' and T1566 for 'Phishing' as attackers could use the XSS to create fake login pages or redirect users to malicious sites. The business impact would have been substantial, including potential data breaches, loss of customer trust, regulatory compliance violations, and financial losses from stolen transactions.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2007-1096 would have required immediate patching of the VirtueMart software to version 20070116 or later, which would have included proper input validation and output encoding measures. Organizations should have implemented comprehensive security testing including dynamic application security testing and static code analysis to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components. The remediation process would have involved sanitizing all user inputs, implementing proper HTML escaping for output, and establishing secure coding practices that prevent XSS vulnerabilities. Security teams should have conducted thorough vulnerability assessments of their entire web application stack, as this vulnerability demonstrated the need for robust input validation mechanisms. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and content security policies would have provided additional layers of protection against similar attacks, while regular security audits and penetration testing would have helped identify other potential vulnerabilities in the e-commerce platform's architecture.