CVE-2007-3049 in Buttercup Wfm
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in index.php in Buttercup web file manager (BWFM) May 2007 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the title parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/25/2025
The CVE-2007-3049 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw in the Buttercup web file manager version from May 2007, classified under CWE-79 as Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation. This vulnerability specifically affects the index.php script where user-supplied input from the title parameter is not properly sanitized or validated before being rendered in web responses. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions within the web application.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. When users provide data through the title parameter, the system directly incorporates this input into HTML responses without adequate sanitization, creating an injection vector that adversaries can exploit. The vulnerability operates at the application layer where web content is generated dynamically, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged to bypass security controls that might otherwise protect against such attacks.
From an operational perspective, this XSS vulnerability poses significant risks to web file manager users who may unknowingly execute malicious code when viewing affected pages. The impact extends beyond simple script execution as attackers can craft payloads that steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or modify page content to deceive users into providing sensitive information. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of data processed through the web interface, potentially compromising the entire web application ecosystem where the Buttercup file manager operates.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should include implementing proper input validation and output encoding techniques to prevent malicious code injection. Organizations should ensure that all user-supplied input is sanitized before being processed or displayed, utilizing established secure coding practices such as HTML entity encoding for output contexts. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection layers against XSS attacks. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which describes social engineering attacks that often exploit web application vulnerabilities like XSS to gain unauthorized access to systems. Regular security audits and code reviews focusing on input validation mechanisms should be conducted to identify and remediate similar issues in web applications. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of following secure coding standards and maintaining up-to-date security practices in web development to prevent exploitation of fundamental input validation flaws.