CVE-2008-3510 in Crafty Syntax Live Help
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in livehelp_js.php in Crafty Syntax Live Help (CSLH) 2.14.6 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the department parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/17/2025
The CVE-2008-3510 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Crafty Syntax Live Help 2.14.6 web application, specifically targeting the livehelp_js.php script. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security weaknesses. The flaw manifests when the application fails to properly validate or sanitize user input received through the department parameter, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary JavaScript code or HTML content into the application's response.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious payload containing script tags or HTML elements and submits it through the department parameter of the livehelp_js.php endpoint. When the vulnerable application processes this input without adequate sanitization, it incorporates the malicious content directly into the HTML response sent to the victim's browser. This allows the attacker to execute arbitrary scripts within the context of the victim's session, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can be leveraged to create more sophisticated attacks within the context of the live help system. Attackers can exploit this weakness to steal session cookies, modify the live help interface to display fraudulent content, or even redirect users to phishing sites that mimic the legitimate help system. The vulnerability affects any user who interacts with the live help functionality, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users access the system simultaneously. This type of attack can be particularly effective in social engineering campaigns where attackers craft convincing malicious payloads that appear to originate from legitimate support channels.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of broader web application security practices and refer to ATT&CK technique T1566 for credential access through phishing and T1059 for execution through script injection. Organizations using CSLH 2.14.6 should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied parameters, particularly those used in dynamic content generation. The recommended remediation involves sanitizing the department parameter through proper HTML escaping and implementing a whitelist validation approach for acceptable input values. Additionally, regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the web application stack, as this represents a common pattern of insecure input handling that affects numerous web applications across different platforms and frameworks.