CVE-2008-0917 in Simple Vote
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Tor World Tor Search 1.1 and earlier, I-Navigator 4.0, Mobile Frontier 2.1 and earlier, Diary.cgi (aka Quotes of the Day) 1.5 and earlier, Tor News 1.21 and earlier, Simple BBS 1.3 and earlier, Interactive BBS 1.3 and earlier, Tor Board 1.1 and earlier, Simple Vote 1.1 and earlier, and Com Vote 1.2 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/09/2017
This cross-site scripting vulnerability affects multiple web applications within the Tor ecosystem including Tor World Tor Search, I-Navigator, Mobile Frontier, Diary.cgi, Tor News, Simple BBS, Interactive BBS, Tor Board, Simple Vote, and Com Vote. The flaw exists in versions 1.1 and earlier of Tor World Tor Search, 4.0 of I-Navigator, 2.1 and earlier of Mobile Frontier, 1.5 and earlier of Diary.cgi, 1.21 and earlier of Tor News, 1.3 and earlier of Simple BBS and Interactive BBS, 1.1 and earlier of Tor Board, 1.1 and earlier of Simple Vote, and 1.2 and earlier of Com Vote. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before incorporating it into web page responses. This allows attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers when they view affected pages, creating a persistent threat vector that can compromise user sessions and data.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the failure to properly escape or encode special characters in user input fields, particularly when processing form submissions, URL parameters, or other data sources that get rendered back to users. Attackers can leverage this weakness by submitting malicious payloads through various input vectors including search fields, comment forms, or parameter manipulation that gets reflected back in the application's response without proper sanitization. The attack typically follows a pattern where an attacker crafts a malicious script payload that gets executed in the victim's browser context, potentially stealing session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, or performing unauthorized actions on behalf of the user. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79 which defines the classic cross-site scripting weakness where untrusted data is improperly incorporated into web pages without adequate validation or encoding.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable sophisticated attack chains including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration from users interacting with affected applications. When users browse pages that contain reflected or stored malicious scripts, their browsers execute the injected code with the privileges of the victim user, potentially leading to complete account compromise. The distributed nature of Tor applications means that a single vulnerable component can affect multiple user communities simultaneously, amplifying the potential damage. Security researchers have documented similar vulnerabilities in web applications where XSS flaws have been exploited for credential harvesting, session fixation attacks, and phishing operations. The persistence of these vulnerabilities across multiple Tor applications suggests systemic issues in input validation practices and security testing procedures within these legacy systems.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms across all user-facing data entry points. Applications must employ proper context-aware encoding for data that gets rendered in HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and URL contexts. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers provides an additional layer of protection by restricting script execution and reducing the impact of successful XSS attacks. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other components. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and security monitoring systems that can detect and block malicious input patterns. The remediation process requires updating all affected applications to versions that properly address the vulnerability, implementing proper input sanitization routines, and establishing secure coding practices that prevent similar issues from occurring in future development cycles. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability falls under the T1059.007 technique for command and scripting interpreter, specifically targeting web application interfaces where attackers can execute malicious scripts through user input.