CVE-2008-0774 in Hotel Reservation System
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in search.cgi in Loris Hotel Reservation System 3.01 and possibly earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the hotel_name parameter. NOTE: the provenance of this information is unknown; the details are obtained solely from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/06/2017
The CVE-2008-0774 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Loris Hotel Reservation System version 3.01 and potentially earlier releases. This security weakness exists in the search.cgi script that processes user input for hotel name searches, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability specifically targets the hotel_name parameter, which serves as the primary injection point for attacker-controlled content.
This XSS vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a critical security weakness in web applications. The flaw allows remote attackers to bypass normal security restrictions and inject malicious code that executes in the victim's browser when they view the affected page. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it operates entirely through user input manipulation without requiring any privileged access or authentication. The vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation and output encoding practices that are fundamental to secure web application development.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement. When exploited, the XSS flaw can enable session hijacking, where attackers steal user authentication tokens and impersonate legitimate users to access restricted areas of the hotel reservation system. Additionally, the vulnerability could facilitate more sophisticated attacks such as credential harvesting, data exfiltration, or redirection to malicious sites. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors can exploit this weakness from anywhere on the internet without physical access to the system infrastructure. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous for hospitality systems that handle sensitive guest information and reservation data.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-0774 should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The most effective immediate solution involves sanitizing all user input parameters, particularly the hotel_name field, by removing or encoding potentially dangerous characters such as angle brackets, script tags, and javascript protocols. Implementing proper HTTP headers including Content Security Policy (CSP) can provide additional protection against script execution. The system should also adopt secure coding practices that ensure all dynamic content is properly escaped before being rendered in web pages. Organizations should consider upgrading to newer versions of the Loris system where these vulnerabilities have been addressed through proper security hardening and input validation mechanisms. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the reservation system infrastructure.