CVE-2008-1458 in CS-Cart
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in index.php in CS-Cart 1.3.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the q parameter in a products search action. NOTE: it was also reported that 1.3.5-SP2 trial edition is also affected.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/20/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-1458 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw that affects the CS-Cart e-commerce platform version 1.3.2 and its subsequent 1.3.5-SP2 trial edition. This security weakness resides within the index.php file and specifically targets the product search functionality, creating a significant vector for malicious actors to execute arbitrary code within the context of affected users' browsers. The vulnerability occurs when the q parameter in search requests is not properly sanitized or validated, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts that can be executed by other users who view the search results.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the CS-Cart application's search handling mechanism. When users perform product searches using the q parameter, the application fails to adequately filter or escape special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code. This allows attackers to craft malicious payloads that, when processed by the application, get rendered back to users' browsers without proper sanitization. The flaw operates at the application layer and specifically targets web-based interfaces where user input is directly incorporated into dynamic web content without appropriate security measures.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to e-commerce platforms using affected CS-Cart versions as it enables attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and defacement of the online store. The impact extends beyond simple script injection as attackers can leverage this vulnerability to create persistent backdoors, redirect users to malicious sites, or execute commands that compromise the integrity of the entire web application. The fact that both the standard 1.3.2 version and the 1.3.5-SP2 trial edition are affected indicates a fundamental flaw in the input handling logic that was not properly addressed in the patch.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script injection attacks. Organizations running affected systems face potential exposure to credential theft through session manipulation, as attackers can exploit this vulnerability to capture user sessions and gain unauthorized access to administrative functions. The attack vector requires minimal technical expertise, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by threat actors of varying skill levels. Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching of the application to the latest stable version, implementation of proper input validation mechanisms, and deployment of web application firewalls to detect and block malicious search queries. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their web applications to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components that may be susceptible to the same class of attack.