CVE-2007-4523 in Ripe Website Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Ripe Website Manager 0.8.9 and earlier allow remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via one or more of the following vectors: the (1) id parameter to (a) pages/delete_page.php, (b) navigation/delete_menu.php, and (c) navigation/delete_item.php in admin/; the (2) menu_id, (3) name, (3) page_id, and (4) url parameters in (d) admin/navigation/do_new_item.php; the (5) new_menuname parameter in (e) admin/navigation/do_new_nav.php; and (6) area1, name, and url parameters to (f) admin/pages/do_new_page.php, probably involving the Title or textarea field as reachable through admin/pages/new_page.php. NOTE: the original disclosure does not precisely state which vectors are associated with SQL injection versus XSS.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/12/2017
The CVE-2007-4523 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness in Ripe Website Manager version 0.8.9 and earlier systems, exposing multiple attack vectors that enable authenticated remote attackers to execute malicious web scripts within victim browsers. This vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the application's administrative interface, particularly affecting the core content management functionality. The flaw specifically targets parameters within various administrative scripts that handle page deletion, navigation management, and content creation operations, creating a comprehensive attack surface that spans the entire administrative panel. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-79 indicates improper neutralization of input during web page generation, which directly enables attackers to inject malicious payloads that persist in the application's data storage and execute when legitimate users access affected pages.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through multiple parameter injection points within the administrative interface, where the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before processing or displaying it. Attackers can manipulate the id parameter in deletion scripts such as pages/delete_page.php, navigation/delete_menu.php, and navigation/delete_item.php, while also targeting the menu_id, name, page_id, and url parameters in navigation/do_new_item.php. Additional vulnerable vectors include the new_menuname parameter in navigation/do_new_nav.php and the area1, name, and url parameters in pages/do_new_page.php. These injection points allow attackers to insert malicious JavaScript code that executes in the context of authenticated users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or further exploitation of the compromised system. The vulnerability's persistence is enhanced by the application's failure to properly encode output, enabling attackers to maintain their malicious payloads across multiple user sessions and page views.
The operational impact of CVE-2007-4523 extends beyond simple script injection, potentially enabling attackers to gain unauthorized access to administrative functions, manipulate website content, and compromise the integrity of the entire web application. When authenticated users interact with pages containing injected scripts, the malicious code executes in their browser context, allowing attackers to perform actions such as modifying content, deleting pages, or creating new navigation items with malicious links. The vulnerability's scope is particularly concerning because it affects core administrative functions that are frequently accessed by legitimate users, increasing the likelihood of successful exploitation. The attack vectors span across different application modules, suggesting a systemic failure in input validation across the entire administrative interface. This comprehensive exposure creates opportunities for attackers to escalate privileges, manipulate website structure, and potentially use the compromised system as a platform for further attacks against other systems within the network perimeter, aligning with tactics described in the attack pattern taxonomy under the MITRE ATT&CK framework for web application exploitation.
The security implications of this vulnerability demonstrate a fundamental weakness in the application's security architecture, particularly in how it handles user input within administrative contexts. The vulnerability's persistence through multiple administrative scripts indicates that the application lacks consistent input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms throughout its codebase. This type of vulnerability commonly arises from inadequate security practices during application development, where developers fail to implement proper input validation or output encoding for all user-supplied data. Organizations using affected versions of Ripe Website Manager face significant risk of unauthorized content modification, potential data breaches, and compromise of the entire website's integrity. The vulnerability's classification as a persistent XSS issue means that successful exploitation can lead to long-term compromise of the application, with attackers able to maintain their malicious presence across multiple user sessions and page reloads. The lack of clear distinction between XSS and SQL injection vectors in the original disclosure suggests that the vulnerability may have additional attack surface that could compound the security risk, potentially allowing attackers to escalate from simple script injection to more serious database compromise scenarios.