CVE-2008-1413 in SNewsCMS Rus
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in search.php in SNewsCMS Rus 2.1 through 2.4 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the query parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/20/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-1413 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the SNewsCMS Rus content management system version 2.1 through 2.4. This security weakness resides in the search.php script which fails to properly sanitize user input parameters, specifically the query parameter that handles search functionality. The vulnerability exposes the system to remote code execution risks where malicious actors can inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content directly into the application's response. This flaw enables attackers to bypass standard security measures and potentially compromise user sessions or execute malicious code within the context of the victim's browser.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding practices within the search functionality. When users submit search queries through the web interface, the application processes the query parameter without sufficient sanitization or escaping mechanisms. This allows attackers to embed malicious payloads such as javascript code, html tags, or other harmful content that gets executed when other users view the search results page. The vulnerability operates under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws in software applications. The flaw demonstrates a classic injection vulnerability where untrusted data flows directly into the application's output without proper security controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection to encompass potential session hijacking, credential theft, and broader system compromise. An attacker could craft malicious search queries that, when executed by other users, would steal session cookies or redirect users to phishing sites. The vulnerability affects all versions between 2.1 and 2.4, indicating a persistent flaw in the application's security architecture that was not adequately addressed during the software development lifecycle. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which involves the use of malicious code injection to manipulate application behavior and gain unauthorized access to system resources.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The search.php script must implement comprehensive parameter sanitization that removes or encodes dangerous characters such as angle brackets, script tags, and javascript protocols. Organizations should deploy web application firewalls to detect and block malicious search queries, while also implementing proper content security policies to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components. The fix should include escaping all user-supplied data before rendering it in web responses, implementing proper HTTP headers to prevent XSS attacks, and ensuring that all input validation occurs at multiple layers of the application architecture. Additionally, developers should adopt secure coding practices that align with OWASP Top Ten security guidelines and maintain updated security patches to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities.