CVE-2007-4595 in Mayaa
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Mayaa before 1.1.12 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML in certain circumstances involving (1) lack of charset specification within a META element or (2) a META element that specifies an unrecognized charset, which trigger automatic character set recognition by the web browser, as demonstrated by improper handling of UTF-7 data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/07/2018
The CVE-2007-4595 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in the Mayaa web application framework prior to version 1.1.12. This vulnerability operates through a sophisticated mechanism involving HTML meta tag processing and character encoding mismanagement that creates exploitable conditions for remote attackers. The flaw specifically targets the browser's automatic character set recognition behavior when encountering malformed meta elements, creating a pathway for malicious script injection that can compromise user sessions and data integrity.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when web applications fail to properly specify character encoding within their HTML meta tags or when they include meta elements with unrecognized charset values. This situation triggers the web browser's automatic character set detection mechanism, which can be manipulated to interpret malicious input as executable script code. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it leverages the browser's built-in charset recognition features to bypass traditional input validation measures, making it difficult to detect and prevent through standard security controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive user information, redirect users to malicious sites, and potentially execute arbitrary commands within the victim's browser context. When UTF-7 encoded data is improperly handled, attackers can exploit the browser's automatic encoding recognition to inject malicious payloads that persist across user sessions and can be delivered to multiple users simultaneously. This creates a persistent threat vector that can be particularly damaging in web applications serving multiple concurrent users.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as a variant of CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications. The attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001, which covers spearphishing attachments, as attackers can craft malicious web content that exploits these encoding vulnerabilities to deliver payloads. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation mechanisms that enforce proper charset specification in meta tags, deploy web application firewalls to monitor for suspicious encoding patterns, and ensure all applications are updated to versions that properly handle character encoding scenarios. The vulnerability underscores the importance of defensive programming practices that consider browser behavior and automatic encoding recognition mechanisms when developing web applications.