CVE-2007-1903 in SonicBB
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in search.php in SonicBB 1.0 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the part parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/26/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-1903 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the SonicBB 1.0 bulletin board system, specifically affecting the search.php script. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category, which encompasses improper neutralization of input during web page generation, making it a critical concern for web application security. The vulnerability manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user input received through the part parameter, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content that gets executed in the context of other users' browsers.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of the part parameter in the search.php endpoint, where user-supplied data is directly incorporated into web page responses without adequate input validation or output encoding. When a victim visits a page containing the malicious script or HTML injected by an attacker, the code executes within their browser session, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. This vulnerability specifically impacts the application's search functionality, where the part parameter is used to filter or specify search criteria, making it a common attack vector for XSS exploitation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities including but not limited to session manipulation, data exfiltration, and social engineering attacks. An attacker could craft malicious search queries that, when viewed by other users, would execute scripts designed to steal cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or even modify the content of the affected web application. The persistence of this vulnerability in SonicBB 1.0 demonstrates a fundamental lack of proper input sanitization practices that were standard in secure coding methodologies by 2007, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers social engineering through malicious content delivery.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. The primary fix involves implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms, ensuring that all user-supplied data passed through the part parameter is sanitized before being processed or displayed. This includes employing context-specific encoding techniques such as HTML entity encoding for web page content, JavaScript encoding for script contexts, and URL encoding for URL parameters. Organizations should also implement Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution capabilities and establish comprehensive input validation routines that reject or sanitize potentially malicious content. Additionally, regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components, as this type of flaw often indicates broader security weaknesses in the application's architecture. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of secure coding practices and input validation in preventing XSS attacks, which remain one of the most prevalent web application security risks according to OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity guidelines.