CVE-2008-0919 in Os-sim
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in session/login.php in Open Source Security Information Management (OSSIM) 0.9.9 rc5 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the dest parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/18/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-0919 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Open Source Security Information Management (OSSIM) platform version 0.9.9 rc5 and earlier. This issue resides in the session/login.php component of the software, which serves as a fundamental authentication mechanism for the security information and event management system. The vulnerability manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user input received through the dest parameter, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of other users' sessions.
The technical nature of this flaw aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities where untrusted data is incorporated into web pages without proper validation or encoding. The dest parameter in the session/login.php script appears to be used for redirecting users after authentication, but the application does not adequately filter or escape input values before incorporating them into the response. This allows attackers to inject malicious payloads that can execute in the browser of unsuspecting users who visit the affected page.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable sophisticated attack vectors including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration. An attacker could craft a malicious URL containing a payload in the dest parameter that would redirect authenticated users to a malicious site or inject a script that steals session cookies or other sensitive information. This poses significant risks to organizations relying on OSSIM for security monitoring, as compromised user sessions could provide unauthorized access to critical security information and system controls.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal technical skill and can be executed remotely without authentication, making it particularly dangerous for organizations with web-based access to their security infrastructure. The attack surface is broad since the login page is typically accessible to all users and the dest parameter is commonly used for legitimate redirection purposes. Organizations using OSSIM versions prior to 0.9.9 rc5 should consider this vulnerability as a high-priority remediation item, as it fundamentally undermines the security of user sessions and could allow attackers to escalate privileges or gain unauthorized access to sensitive security data.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching to the latest available version of OSSIM that addresses this vulnerability, implementing proper input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied parameters, and deploying web application firewalls to detect and block malicious payloads. The remediation process should also include reviewing and implementing proper security coding practices to prevent similar issues in other components of the application. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their OSSIM installations and consider implementing additional monitoring and detection mechanisms to identify potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in web applications and serves as a reminder of the potential consequences when security controls are insufficiently implemented in authentication and session management components.