CVE-2008-3448 in csphonebook
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in index.php in common solutions csphonebook 1.02 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the letter parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/10/2025
The CVE-2008-3448 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw in the csphonebook 1.02 web application, specifically within its index.php file. This vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages. The affected parameter, letter, serves as an entry point for malicious actors to inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript code into the application's response, thereby compromising the security of users who interact with the vulnerable system.
This particular vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent and well-documented web application security weaknesses. The flaw allows remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of victims. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires minimal privileges from the attacker, who only needs to craft a malicious URL with the vulnerable letter parameter and entice a victim to click on it.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable sophisticated attack chains within the context of the ATT&CK framework's initial access and execution phases. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access through session manipulation or to perform more advanced attacks such as credential theft by injecting keyloggers or other malicious payloads. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers can exploit it from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to the target system or network.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-3448 should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding techniques to prevent malicious data from being executed as code. The recommended approach involves sanitizing all user inputs through strict validation filters that reject or escape potentially dangerous characters and sequences before processing or displaying them in web responses. Additionally, developers should implement Content Security Policy headers to limit the sources from which scripts can be executed, and employ proper HTML encoding for all dynamic content. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security assessments and code reviews to identify and remediate similar issues in legacy web applications that may not have been designed with modern security practices in mind.