CVE-2007-3129 in News Pro
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in login.php in Utopia News Pro 1.4.0 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the password parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/24/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-3129 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Utopia News Pro content management system version 1.4.0. This security weakness resides in the login.php script where user input is not properly sanitized or validated before being processed and potentially rendered back to users. The vulnerability specifically affects the password parameter, which serves as an entry point for malicious actors to inject harmful web scripts or HTML code into the application's response. This type of 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 execute scripts in the context of other users.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker submits malicious input through the password field during the login process. Since the application fails to properly escape or filter the password parameter before processing it, any injected script code gets executed in the victim's browser when the page renders. This creates a persistent threat where attackers can craft malicious payloads that will execute whenever legitimate users interact with the affected application. The vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation practices and highlights the critical importance of proper output encoding in web applications. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.008 for Scripting and T1566.001 for Phishing, as attackers can leverage this flaw to deliver malicious payloads through social engineering tactics.
The operational impact of CVE-2007-3129 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal user credentials, redirect users to malicious websites, or even deface the news portal. An attacker could craft a password parameter containing JavaScript code that would execute in the browser of any user who views the login page or related content. This vulnerability particularly affects the authentication mechanism of Utopia News Pro, potentially allowing unauthorized access to user accounts or administrative functions. The flaw creates a persistent threat vector that could be exploited repeatedly, as the vulnerability exists in core application functionality that handles user authentication. Organizations running this version of Utopia News Pro face significant risk of data breaches and unauthorized access to their content management systems.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate implementation of proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms within the login.php script. The application must escape all user-supplied input before processing or displaying it, particularly in contexts where HTML rendering occurs. Security patches should be applied to update the Utopia News Pro application to a version that addresses this specific XSS vulnerability. Organizations should also implement Content Security Policy headers to add an additional layer of protection against script injection attacks. Regular security testing and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar input validation weaknesses throughout the application. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical need for secure coding practices and the importance of implementing proper input validation and output encoding as fundamental security controls within web applications.