CVE-2008-0793 in Tendenci
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in search.asp in Tendenci CMS allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) category, (2) searchtext, (3) jobcategoryid, (4) contactcompany, and unspecified other parameters. NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information. NOTE: it is not clear whether this affects Tendenci Enterprise Edition in addition to the product s deployment on Tendenci s own server farm. If only the latter was affected, then this issue should not be included in CVE.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/06/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-0793 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Tendenci Content Management System's search.asp component. This vulnerability manifests as a weakness in input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before processing. The affected parameters include category, searchtext, jobcategoryid, contactcompany, and potentially other unspecified fields within the search functionality. The flaw allows remote attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML code that executes in the context of other users' browsers when they access the affected search results or pages containing the injected content. This vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting vulnerabilities, representing a fundamental weakness in web application security that enables attackers to execute arbitrary scripts in user browsers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it provides attackers with the capability to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive information, and potentially escalate privileges within the application. When users interact with search results containing malicious payloads, their browsers execute the injected scripts, which could redirect them to phishing sites, steal cookies, or perform unauthorized actions on their behalf. The attack vector leverages the trust relationship between users and the application, making it particularly dangerous as victims are often unaware they are executing malicious code. This vulnerability specifically affects the Tendenci CMS platform and demonstrates poor input sanitization practices that are commonly exploited in web application attacks, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper input validation and output encoding measures throughout the application. Developers should implement strict sanitization of all user-supplied parameters before processing or displaying them in web pages, utilizing established libraries and frameworks designed to prevent XSS attacks. The solution must include proper HTML encoding of output data, implementation of Content Security Policy headers, and comprehensive parameter validation to ensure that no malicious content can be injected through the search functionality. Additionally, access controls should be reviewed to ensure that only authorized users can perform searches that might be exploited, and regular security audits should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the CMS. Organizations using Tendenci should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring systems to detect and prevent exploitation attempts, as well as ensuring that all users are running the latest patched versions of the software to address this vulnerability.