CVE-2007-1606 in w-Agora
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in w-Agora (Web-Agora) allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via (1) the showuser parameter to profile.php, the (2) search_forum or (3) search_user parameter to search.php, or (4) the userid parameter to change_password.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/27/2018
The CVE-2007-1606 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in w-Agora, a web-based discussion forum application. This vulnerability affects multiple components within the application's user interaction pathways, specifically targeting parameters in three distinct php scripts. The flaw allows remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of other users' browsers, creating a significant security risk for any system utilizing this forum software. The vulnerability's impact extends across multiple attack vectors, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited through various user interface elements.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization within the w-Agora application's processing logic. When the application processes user-supplied data through the specified parameters, it fails to properly escape or filter special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code. The showuser parameter in profile.php, search_forum and search_user parameters in search.php, and userid parameter in change_password.php all exhibit this weakness by directly incorporating user input into dynamically generated web content without adequate security measures. This lack of proper input sanitization creates an environment where attackers can inject malicious payloads that execute in the victim's browser context.
The operational impact of CVE-2007-1606 is substantial as it enables attackers to perform various malicious activities through the compromised forum system. An attacker could inject scripts that steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, deface the forum content, or even execute commands on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability particularly threatens user privacy and system integrity, as it allows unauthorized access to user accounts and potentially provides a foothold for further attacks within the network. The attack surface is broad due to the multiple entry points, making it easier for threat actors to find a successful exploitation method.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and represents a classic example of insecure data handling practices. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to multiple ATT&CK techniques including T1566 for social engineering through malicious web content and T1071 for application layer protocols. The remediation strategy should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation, output encoding, and proper parameter sanitization across all affected scripts. Additionally, developers should adopt secure coding practices that enforce strict validation of user inputs and implement proper HTML escaping mechanisms to prevent malicious code execution in web contexts.
The exploitation of this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in web applications and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing during development phases. Organizations using w-Agora or similar forum software should immediately implement patches or workarounds to address these XSS vulnerabilities. The remediation process should include thorough code reviews, implementation of Content Security Policy headers, and regular security assessments to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future versions of the software.