CVE-2008-1345 in EasyCalendar
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in plugins/calendar/calendar_backend.php in MyioSoft EasyCalendar 4.0tr and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the day parameter in a dayview action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/19/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-1345 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the MyioSoft EasyCalendar 4.0tr and earlier versions, specifically affecting the calendar_backend.php plugin component. This security weakness resides in the application's handling of user input within the day parameter of the dayview action, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of affected users' browsers. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamic web page content.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when remote attackers craft malicious input containing script tags or HTML elements and submit them through the day parameter in the dayview action. When the vulnerable application processes this input without adequate sanitization, the malicious code gets embedded into the calendar display, subsequently executing in the browsers of unsuspecting users who view the affected calendar page. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses improper neutralization of input during web page generation, making it a direct implementation of the generic web application vulnerability pattern. The flaw demonstrates a failure in the application's security architecture to properly handle user-controllable data within the context of dynamic web content generation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and redirection to malicious websites. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to steal user sessions, modify calendar entries, or even gain persistent access to the application through more sophisticated attack chains. The vulnerability affects all users who access the calendar application, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users interact with shared calendar systems. This type of attack vector is categorized under the ATT&CK technique T1531 which focuses on establishing persistence through malicious web content, and represents a common attack pattern used in web application penetration testing and exploitation frameworks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-1345 require immediate implementation of proper input validation and output encoding practices. The primary solution involves sanitizing all user-supplied input through strict validation mechanisms that reject or escape potentially dangerous characters and patterns before processing. Application developers should implement comprehensive input filtering that removes or encodes script tags, event handlers, and other malicious constructs from user-provided data. Additionally, output encoding should be applied consistently when rendering user data within HTML contexts to prevent script execution. The recommended approach follows the principle of least privilege and defense in depth, ensuring that user input is never directly incorporated into web page content without proper sanitization. Organizations should also implement regular security updates, maintain current versions of calendar applications, and conduct thorough code reviews to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities across their web applications. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of input validation in web application security and the necessity of implementing robust sanitization mechanisms to prevent XSS attacks.