CVE-2007-3202 in Web Wiz Rich Text Editor
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the rich text editor in Webwiz allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via URL-encoded HTML composed of a frameset in which a frame has a SRC attribute pointing to a JavaScript document.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/25/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-3202 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Webwiz rich text editor component that enables remote attackers to execute malicious code in the context of victim browsers. This issue stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the editor's handling of URL-encoded HTML content, specifically when processing frameset elements containing frame tags with SRC attributes pointing to JavaScript documents. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security flaws.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious URL-encoded HTML payload that includes a frameset structure with a frame element referencing a JavaScript document through its SRC attribute. When the vulnerable Webwiz editor processes this input, it fails to properly sanitize or validate the URL-encoded HTML content, allowing the embedded JavaScript code to be executed within the victim's browser context. This attack vector leverages the editor's trust in user-provided content without adequate security measures to prevent malicious script injection.
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 session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability affects web applications that utilize the Webwiz rich text editor for user-generated content processing, potentially compromising user sessions and allowing attackers to impersonate legitimate users within the application. This represents a significant threat to web application security as it can be exploited to gain unauthorized access to sensitive user data and system resources.
From a defensive perspective, this vulnerability underscores the critical importance of implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms within web applications. Organizations should implement strict content validation policies that sanitize all user-provided input, particularly when processing rich text content that may contain HTML or JavaScript elements. The mitigation strategies should include implementing proper HTML escaping, employing content security policies, and utilizing modern web application firewalls to detect and prevent such attacks. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers social engineering through malicious content delivery, and demonstrates the necessity of robust application-level security controls to prevent unauthorized code execution. The remediation approach should involve updating the Webwiz editor to a patched version that properly validates and sanitizes input content, while also implementing additional security layers such as CSP headers to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts in the browser context.