CVE-2008-4051 in Smart Survey
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in surveyresults.asp in Smart Survey 1.0 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the sid parameter. NOTE: the provenance of this information is unknown; the details are obtained solely from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/25/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-4051 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw in the Smart Survey 1.0 web application, specifically within the surveyresults.asp component. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which categorizes improper neutralization of input during web output rendering as a fundamental weakness in web application security. The flaw manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user input received through the sid parameter, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript code that executes in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can leverage this weakness without requiring local system access or authentication, making it particularly dangerous in web environments where users interact with the application.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability occurs at the input validation and output rendering stages of the web application's processing pipeline. When a user submits a survey with a specific sid parameter, the application processes this input without adequate sanitization or encoding mechanisms. The sid parameter, which likely represents a survey identifier or session token, becomes a conduit for malicious payloads when not properly validated. Attackers can craft malicious URLs containing script tags or other HTML content within the sid parameter, which when processed by the surveyresults.asp page, gets rendered directly into the web page without proper HTML escaping or context-aware encoding. This creates an environment where any user who accesses the vulnerable page will execute the injected code in their browser, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption or display issues, as it represents a significant threat to user security and application integrity. Users who view survey results pages may unknowingly execute malicious scripts that can steal cookies, session tokens, or other sensitive information from their browsers. The vulnerability could enable attackers to perform actions on behalf of legitimate users, potentially compromising the entire survey system's data confidentiality and integrity. According to ATT&CK framework tactic T1531, this vulnerability could be exploited to establish persistent access through user session manipulation, while the broader category of T1059 covers the execution of malicious code through script injection techniques. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that the vulnerability affects a core survey functionality, meaning that any user accessing survey results could become a victim, potentially affecting thousands of users depending on the application's deployment scope.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both the immediate code-level fixes and broader architectural security improvements. The primary remediation involves implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the surveyresults.asp application, specifically ensuring that all user-supplied input including the sid parameter is properly sanitized before being rendered in web pages. This approach aligns with CWE-116 guidelines for proper input sanitization and output encoding practices. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide an additional layer of protection against script execution, while regular security code reviews and automated vulnerability scanning should be integrated into the development lifecycle. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious input patterns, and establish secure coding practices that prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future application versions. The remediation process should include thorough testing to ensure that all user inputs are properly handled and that the application maintains expected functionality while eliminating the XSS attack vector.