CVE-2007-6541 in neuron news
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in neuron news 1.0 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via (1) the topic parameter in a viewtopic action, or the (2) newsyear or (3) newsmonth parameter in a newsarchive action to the default URI in patch/.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/06/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-6541 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness affecting neuron news version 1.0, specifically targeting the newsarchive and viewtopic functionality within the patch/ directory. This flaw enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of victim browsers through carefully crafted input parameters that are not properly sanitized or validated. The vulnerability manifests in three distinct attack vectors that collectively demonstrate a systemic lack of input validation controls within the application's core components.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input parameters within the news management system. Attackers can exploit the topic parameter in the viewtopic action to inject malicious scripts that will execute when other users view the affected content. Similarly, the newsyear and newsmonth parameters in the newsarchive action present identical risks, allowing attackers to manipulate the archive functionality to inject malicious code. These vulnerabilities directly map to CWE-79, which describes cross-site scripting flaws where untrusted data is improperly incorporated into web pages without adequate validation or encoding measures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with the ability to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive information, manipulate content, or redirect users to malicious websites. When users browse the affected news archive or topic pages, their browsers execute the injected scripts, potentially leading to account takeovers, data exfiltration, or further exploitation through techniques like cookie theft or credential harvesting. The vulnerability affects the entire user base that interacts with the news system, making it particularly dangerous in environments where the application serves multiple users or is publicly accessible.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-6541 should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's codebase. All user-supplied parameters must be rigorously sanitized before being processed or displayed in web pages, with special attention to the specific parameters mentioned in the vulnerability description. The implementation should follow secure coding practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Secure Coding Practices and the ATT&CK framework's mitigation strategies for web application vulnerabilities. Additionally, regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify and remediate similar issues in other application components. The affected system administrators should also consider implementing web application firewalls and content security policies to provide additional layers of protection against such attacks.