CVE-2008-3101 in vtiger
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in vtiger CRM 5.0.4 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via (1) the parenttab parameter in an index action to the Products module, as reachable through index.php; (2) the user_password parameter in an Authenticate action to the Users module, as reachable through index.php; or (3) the query_string parameter in a UnifiedSearch action to the Home module, as reachable through index.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/12/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-3101 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness affecting vtiger CRM version 5.0.4, specifically targeting three distinct input vectors within the application's web interface. This vulnerability classifies under CWE-79 as a failure to sanitize user input, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content into the application's response. The affected parameters include parenttab in the Products module's index action, user_password in the Users module's Authenticate action, and query_string in the Home module's UnifiedSearch action, all accessible through the main index.php entry point. These attack vectors demonstrate a fundamental flaw in the application's input validation and output encoding mechanisms, creating opportunities for persistent and reflected cross-site scripting attacks that can compromise user sessions and data integrity.
The technical exploitation of these vulnerabilities occurs through the manipulation of HTTP request parameters that are directly incorporated into the application's HTML responses without proper sanitization or encoding. When a user navigates to the affected URLs with malicious input in any of the three parameters, the application processes the input and reflects it back to the user's browser without adequate protection measures. This allows attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the victim's browser context, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The attack surfaces are particularly concerning as they target core application modules including product management, user authentication, and search functionality, which are frequently accessed by legitimate users. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple modules suggests a systemic weakness in the application's security architecture rather than isolated flaws.
The operational impact of CVE-2008-3101 extends beyond immediate script execution capabilities to encompass broader security implications for organizations relying on vtiger CRM. Attackers can leverage these vulnerabilities to steal user sessions, potentially gaining administrative privileges within the CRM system, or to deface the application interface and compromise data confidentiality. The reflected nature of these XSS vulnerabilities means that malicious payloads can be delivered through phishing emails or compromised links, making them particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where users may inadvertently trigger the attack by clicking on malicious content. Organizations using this version of vtiger CRM face significant risk of unauthorized access, data exfiltration, and potential system compromise, especially in environments where the CRM serves as a central repository for sensitive customer and business information. The vulnerability's presence in authentication and search modules particularly amplifies the risk as these components often contain sensitive data and access controls.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-3101 should prioritize immediate patching of the vtiger CRM application to version 5.1.0 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes for these XSS vulnerabilities. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding measures, ensuring that all user-supplied data is properly sanitized before being incorporated into HTML responses. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against script injection attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts can be loaded. Security teams should also conduct thorough code reviews to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other application components, particularly focusing on areas where user input is directly rendered without proper encoding. Network-based solutions such as web application firewalls can provide additional layers of defense, though they should not be considered replacements for proper code-level fixes. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be implemented to identify potential XSS vulnerabilities in other applications and systems within the organization's attack surface, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1566 for credential access through phishing and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter execution.