CVE-2008-1556 in BolinOS
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in BolinOS 4.6.1 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) url parameter to (a) system/actionspages/_b/contentFiles/gBImageViewer.php, (2) ForEditor parameter to (b) system/actionspages/_b/contentFiles/gBselectorContents.php, (3) the PATH_INFO to (c) gBLoginPage.php and (d) gBPassword.php in system/actionspages/_b/contentFiles/, (4) formlogin parameter to system/actionspages/_b/contentFiles/gBLoginPage.php, and the (5) bolini_searchengine46Search parameter to (e) help/index.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/20/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-1556 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting BolinOS 4.6.1, a content management system that was widely deployed in enterprise environments during the late 2000s. This vulnerability classifies under CWE-79 as a failure to sanitize user input, specifically targeting multiple entry points within the application's web interface. The flaw allows remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of victim browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, and unauthorized access to sensitive information. The affected parameters span across multiple files including gBImageViewer.php, gBselectorContents.php, gBLoginPage.php, gBPassword.php, and help/index.php, demonstrating a systemic issue in input validation across the application's architecture.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through unvalidated user input parameters that are directly incorporated into web responses without proper sanitization or encoding. The url parameter in gBImageViewer.php likely accepts URL paths or resource identifiers that are rendered back to users without proper HTML escaping, while the ForEditor parameter in gBselectorContents.php may be used to determine which editor interface to display based on user-provided values. The PATH_INFO handling in gBLoginPage.php and gBPassword.php represents a particularly concerning attack vector as these files typically handle authentication processes, making them prime targets for credential theft and session manipulation attacks. The formlogin parameter in gBLoginPage.php could enable attackers to inject malicious code into login forms, while the bolini_searchengine46Search parameter in help/index.php allows manipulation of search functionality to deliver malicious payloads to unsuspecting users.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations using BolinOS 4.6.1 as it provides attackers with multiple potential entry points to compromise user sessions and potentially gain administrative access to the content management system. The attack surface extends beyond simple script execution to include potential privilege escalation if attackers can manipulate authentication flows through the vulnerable parameters. The exploitation of PATH_INFO parameters in authentication pages particularly threatens the integrity of user sessions and could enable attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms entirely, as outlined in the ATT&CK framework under T1566 for credential access and T1071 for application layer protocol usage. Organizations utilizing this software would face potential data breaches, unauthorized content modification, and service disruption if these vulnerabilities were exploited in the wild.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of the affected BolinOS 4.6.1 installation to address the input validation deficiencies across all identified parameters. Security teams should implement comprehensive input sanitization and output encoding measures at all application entry points, particularly focusing on parameters that handle user-supplied data in authentication and content display contexts. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional defense-in-depth measures to prevent script execution in compromised contexts. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments of their web applications to identify similar input validation flaws and establish secure coding practices that align with OWASP Top Ten guidelines and the CWE mitigation strategies for cross-site scripting vulnerabilities. Regular security monitoring and vulnerability scanning should be implemented to detect potential exploitation attempts and ensure that all system components remain protected against known attack vectors.