CVE-2008-0426 in PacerCMS
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in submit.php in PacerCMS before 0.6.1 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) name, (2) headline, or (3) text field in a message.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-0426 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting PacerCMS versions prior to 0.6.1. This issue resides within the submit.php script which processes user input for message submissions. The vulnerability manifests when attackers exploit three specific input fields namely name, headline, and text within the message handling functionality. These fields lack proper input validation and sanitization mechanisms, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML code into the application's output. The flaw falls under the category of CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, where the application fails to properly escape or filter user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption or display issues. Attackers can leverage these XSS vectors to execute malicious scripts in the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of victims. When users visit pages containing maliciously injected content, their browsers execute the embedded scripts, which could redirect them to phishing sites, steal cookies, or even modify content on the vulnerable website. The vulnerability affects the core message submission functionality, making it particularly dangerous as legitimate users frequently interact with these features. The attack requires no special privileges beyond basic access to the vulnerable application's submission interface, making it an attractive target for threat actors seeking to compromise user sessions or spread malicious content across the platform.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows standard XSS attack patterns where malicious input is crafted to include script tags or other HTML elements that execute in the victim's browser context. The three affected fields name, headline, and text represent common user input points that are typically not properly sanitized before being stored and subsequently displayed. This creates a persistent vulnerability where attackers can embed malicious payloads that remain active until the content is removed or the application is patched. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which describes social engineering attacks through malicious content injection, and specifically targets the web application layer where user input validation fails. Organizations using PacerCMS versions before 0.6.1 should immediately implement proper input sanitization, output encoding, and implement Content Security Policy headers to prevent script execution. Additionally, the vulnerability demonstrates the importance of validating and sanitizing all user-supplied input at multiple layers of the application stack, as recommended by OWASP top ten security controls. The remediation process requires updating to PacerCMS version 0.6.1 or later, which includes proper input validation and sanitization measures to prevent XSS injection attacks in the affected fields.