CVE-2008-2413 in ACGV News
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in glossaire.php in ACGV News 0.9.1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the id parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/09/2025
The CVE-2008-2413 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw in the ACGV News 0.9.1 content management system where the glossaire.php script fails to properly sanitize user input. This vulnerability specifically targets the id parameter, which serves as an entry point for malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML code into the application's response. The flaw arises from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the application's handling of user-supplied data, creating an exploitable condition that allows attackers to execute malicious code within the context of other users' browsers.
This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a critical security weakness in web applications. The attack vector operates through the manipulation of the id parameter, where an attacker can craft malicious payloads that get executed when the vulnerable page processes the input. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable session hijacking, credential theft, and the delivery of malware to unsuspecting users who visit the compromised page. The flaw represents a failure in the application's security design principles, specifically in the implementation of proper input sanitization and output encoding practices that are fundamental to preventing XSS attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it allows remote attackers to compromise the web application and potentially gain unauthorized access to user sessions. When users interact with the compromised glossaire.php page, any malicious script injected through the id parameter executes within their browser context, potentially leading to data exfiltration, unauthorized actions performed on behalf of users, and the establishment of persistent attack vectors. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the web application, as it can be exploited to manipulate content, steal sensitive information, or redirect users to malicious sites. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform session fixation attacks, modify application behavior, or create backdoors for continued access to the compromised system.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-2413 should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. The primary defense involves sanitizing all user input parameters, particularly the id parameter in this case, by employing proper encoding techniques such as HTML entity encoding before rendering any user-supplied content. Additionally, developers should implement Content Security Policy headers to limit the sources from which scripts can be executed, and utilize parameterized queries or prepared statements to prevent injection attacks. The application should also implement proper input length validation and whitelist validation for expected parameter values. Organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls and regular security testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the system. This vulnerability underscores the critical importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to the principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten security risks, particularly those related to injection flaws and cross-site scripting vulnerabilities that remain prevalent in web applications despite decades of awareness and mitigation efforts.