CVE-2008-0757 in Message Board
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in index.php in MercuryBoard 1.1.5 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the message parameter (aka the message text area), which leads to an injection in the messenger during private message (PM) preview. NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/31/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-0757 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the MercuryBoard 1.1.5 web application framework. This issue specifically targets the index.php script where user input from the message parameter is processed without adequate sanitization or validation. The vulnerability manifests when users compose private messages that are subsequently displayed in a preview mode, creating a vector for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of other users' browsers. The attack exploits the application's failure to properly encode or filter user-supplied content before rendering it in the web interface, particularly during the private messaging preview functionality.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows a standard XSS attack pattern where an attacker crafts malicious input containing script tags or other HTML elements within the message parameter field. When the victim views the preview of the malicious private message, the browser executes the injected code as if it were legitimate content from the application. This behavior violates fundamental web security principles and demonstrates a critical failure in input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The vulnerability operates under CWE-79 which classifies the weakness as "Cross-site Scripting" and specifically relates to the improper handling of user-supplied data in web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, defacement of user profiles, and redirection to malicious sites. In the context of a private messaging system, this vulnerability allows attackers to compromise user sessions and potentially gain unauthorized access to private communications. The risk is particularly elevated because private messages often contain sensitive information and the preview functionality provides an easily exploitable attack surface where users are likely to interact with the content. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which focuses on "Account Access Removal" and T1566 which covers "Phishing" through the potential for credential harvesting and user manipulation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper input sanitization and output encoding practices. The application must validate all user-supplied data in the message parameter against a strict whitelist of acceptable characters and reject any input containing potentially dangerous HTML or script elements. Implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide additional defense-in-depth measures to prevent script execution. The system should also employ proper HTML entity encoding when displaying user-generated content, ensuring that special characters are converted to their safe representations. Regular security audits and input validation testing should be conducted to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other application components. Additionally, application developers should follow secure coding guidelines and implement proper error handling to prevent information disclosure that could aid attackers in crafting more sophisticated exploits.