CVE-2008-2188 in BlackBook
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in EJ3 BlackBook 1.0 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) bookCopyright and (2) ver parameters to (a) footer.php, and the (3) bookName, (4) bookMetaTags, and (5) estiloCSS parameters to (b) header.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/08/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-2188 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting EJ3 BlackBook version 1.0, a web application that appears to be a content management or publishing system. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically categorized as a reflected XSS attack vector where malicious input is immediately reflected back to users without proper sanitization or encoding. The flaw exists in the application's handling of user-supplied input parameters, creating an avenue for remote attackers to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of other users' browsers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves multiple attack vectors within the application's PHP files. The first set of vulnerable parameters bookCopyright and ver found in footer.php accept user input that is not properly sanitized before being rendered in the web page output. Similarly, the second set of parameters bookName, bookMetaTags, and estiloCSS in header.php present identical security weaknesses where input validation and output encoding are insufficient to prevent malicious script injection. These parameters are likely processed through GET or POST requests and directly incorporated into HTML responses without appropriate HTML entity encoding or script validation mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, creating significant security risks for users interacting with the affected web application. Attackers can exploit these XSS flaws to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of victims, redirect users to malicious websites, or even deface the application content. The reflected nature of these vulnerabilities means that attackers can craft malicious URLs containing the payload, which when clicked by victims, execute the injected code in their browsers. This makes the attack vector particularly dangerous as it requires minimal user interaction beyond simply visiting a compromised page.
The exploitation of these vulnerabilities aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for Initial Access through Spearphishing Attachment, where malicious payloads are embedded in web content. Organizations using EJ3 BlackBook version 1.0 face potential compromise of user sessions, data theft, and reputational damage. The vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation practices and highlights the critical importance of implementing proper output encoding mechanisms as recommended by OWASP Top Ten and the Web Application Security Consortium guidelines. Mitigation strategies should include immediate implementation of parameter sanitization, HTML entity encoding for all user-supplied input, and comprehensive input validation to prevent the injection of malicious scripts. Additionally, regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in the application's codebase, ensuring compliance with established security standards and best practices.