CVE-2008-1793 in Smart Photo ADS Gold
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in view.cgi in Smart Classified ADS Professional, Smart Photo ADS, and Smart Photo ADS Gold allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) AdNum and (2) Department parameters. NOTE: the provenance of this information is unknown; the details are obtained solely from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/16/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-1793 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting multiple web applications including Smart Classified ADS Professional, Smart Photo ADS, and Smart Photo ADS Gold. This vulnerability resides in the view.cgi script which serves as a key component for displaying advertisements and photo listings within these platforms. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly process user-supplied data before rendering it in web responses. Attackers can exploit this weakness by manipulating specific parameters in the URL structure to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through two primary attack vectors identified as the AdNum and Department parameters. These parameters are processed by the view.cgi script without proper sanitization, allowing malicious input to be interpreted as executable code rather than benign data. When a user accesses a specially crafted URL containing malicious script within these parameters, the script executes in the victim's browser session, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of the victim. This type of vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79 which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a weakness where untrusted data is incorporated into web page content without proper validation or encoding.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with persistent access to user sessions and potentially sensitive application data. Remote attackers can leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent footholds within the affected systems, particularly if the applications handle user authentication or store sensitive information. The attack surface is broad given that these are classified advertising platforms where users frequently interact with listings and advertisements, creating multiple opportunities for exploitation. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability aligns with T1531 - Run-time Application Prototyping and T1059 - Command and Scripting Interpreter, as it enables attackers to execute malicious commands through web-based interfaces.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term security hardening measures. The primary fix involves implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the view.cgi script to sanitize all user-supplied parameters before processing. This includes applying proper HTML escaping techniques and implementing strict parameter validation to reject malicious input patterns. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution capabilities and reduce the impact of successful attacks. Additionally, regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components, particularly focusing on dynamic content generation and parameter handling functions. The remediation approach should follow industry best practices outlined in OWASP Top Ten and ISO/IEC 27001 security standards to ensure comprehensive protection against similar cross-site scripting vulnerabilities.