CVE-2007-5112 in Urchin
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in session.cgi (aka the login page) in Google Urchin 5 5.7.03 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the query string, a different vulnerability than CVE-2007-4713. NOTE: this can be leveraged to capture login credentials in some browsers that support remembered (auto-completed) passwords.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-5112 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in Google Urchin 5 versions 5.7.03 and earlier, specifically within the session.cgi component which serves as the login page interface. This weakness arises from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data from the query string parameters. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and directly impacts the authentication mechanism of the Urchin web analytics platform, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on this software for web traffic analysis and user behavior tracking.
The technical exploitation of this XSS vulnerability occurs when remote attackers inject malicious scripts or HTML code through the query string parameters of the session.cgi page. This allows attackers to execute arbitrary code within the victim's browser context, potentially capturing sensitive information including login credentials. The flaw specifically affects the authentication flow where browsers with auto-complete functionality may inadvertently store and transmit credentials to the maliciously crafted page, making the attack vector particularly dangerous for credential theft. This vulnerability is categorized under CWE-79 as "Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 for 'Use of Unsecured Credentials' and T1566 for 'Phishing'.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it creates a persistent threat vector that can be leveraged for credential harvesting and session hijacking. Attackers can craft malicious URLs that, when visited by authenticated users, will execute scripts that capture username and password combinations from auto-complete fields or other stored credentials. The vulnerability's exploitation can lead to full system compromise, unauthorized access to web analytics data, and potential lateral movement within network environments where Urchin is deployed. Organizations using affected versions of Google Urchin face significant risk of unauthorized access to their web traffic data and potential exposure of sensitive user information, as the vulnerability can be exploited without requiring any special privileges or access to the underlying system infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected Google Urchin installations to versions that properly implement input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied data. Organizations should also implement web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious query string parameters, enforce strict content security policies, and disable auto-complete functionality for sensitive fields when possible. Additionally, network administrators should monitor for suspicious traffic patterns and implement proper access controls to limit exposure of the vulnerable login page to untrusted users. The remediation process should include comprehensive security testing to ensure that all input handling mechanisms properly sanitize user data and that no similar vulnerabilities exist within the application's codebase, particularly focusing on the authentication and session management components that handle user credentials and session tokens.