CVE-2007-6486 in LineShout
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in shout.php (aka the shoutbox) in LineShout 1.0 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) username (nickname) or (2) message parameter. NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/13/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-6486 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the LineShout 1.0 shoutbox component, specifically in the shout.php script. This vulnerability exposes web applications to malicious injection attacks that can compromise user sessions and data integrity. The flaw manifests through two primary attack vectors where unvalidated user input is directly incorporated into web responses without proper sanitization or encoding mechanisms. The vulnerability affects both the username (nickname) and message parameters, creating multiple entry points for attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of affected user browsers.
This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79 which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a weakness where an application fails to properly validate or encode user-supplied data before including it in dynamically generated web content. The technical implementation flaw occurs when the shoutbox component processes user inputs without implementing proper input validation or output encoding measures. The absence of input sanitization allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code, HTML tags, or other harmful content that gets executed in the browsers of other users who view the affected content. This creates a persistent XSS vulnerability where malicious payloads can be stored and executed repeatedly.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, deface web applications, steal sensitive user information, or redirect users to malicious sites. When users visit pages containing the injected content, their browsers execute the malicious scripts with the privileges of the affected user, potentially leading to complete account compromise. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of the shoutbox feature, which is designed to allow users to post messages in real-time, making it a high-value target for exploitation. Attackers can craft payloads that exploit the XSS vulnerability to steal cookies, redirect users, or even execute commands on behalf of the victim.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The most effective approach involves sanitizing all user inputs through proper validation techniques such as allowing only alphanumeric characters and specific permitted symbols while rejecting potentially dangerous content. Additionally, implementing proper output encoding when displaying user-generated content ensures that any malicious scripts are rendered harmless. The solution should include input filtering that removes or encodes characters such as < > " ' & that are commonly used in XSS attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to add an additional layer of protection against script execution. This vulnerability highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and demonstrates how simple input validation failures can lead to severe security consequences. The remediation process should include thorough code review and implementation of proper sanitization routines as recommended by the OWASP Top Ten project and other industry security standards.