CVE-2008-4370 in Photo Album
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Availscript Photo Album allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) sid parameter to pics.php and the (2) a parameter to view.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/03/2024
The CVE-2008-4370 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting the Availscript Photo Album web application, which was widely deployed for managing digital photo collections online. This vulnerability resides in the application's handling of user-supplied input parameters, specifically targeting two distinct endpoints that process user requests. The flaw allows remote attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of authenticated users' browsers, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive information, session hijacking, or complete compromise of user accounts. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data theft as it can enable attackers to manipulate the application's functionality and compromise the integrity of the entire photo album system.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through two primary vectors that demonstrate poor input validation practices within the Availscript Photo Album codebase. The first attack vector involves the sid parameter in the pics.php script, while the second targets the a parameter in view.php. Both parameters fail to properly sanitize or escape user input before incorporating it into dynamic web page content, creating opportunities for attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code or HTML content. The vulnerability's classification as a server-side input validation failure directly correlates with CWE-79, which defines cross-site scripting as a weakness where untrusted data is sent to a web browser without proper sanitization. This specific implementation flaw allows attackers to craft malicious URLs that, when executed by victims, can execute arbitrary code within the victim's browser context, bypassing normal security restrictions.
The operational impact of CVE-2008-4370 extends beyond immediate data compromise to encompass potential long-term security implications for organizations using the affected photo album software. Attackers can leverage these vulnerabilities to establish persistent access to user accounts, steal session cookies, and manipulate the photo album's content to serve as a platform for further attacks. The vulnerability creates an attack surface that can be exploited by threat actors to perform session hijacking, redirect users to malicious sites, or inject malware through compromised user browsers. Additionally, the nature of photo album applications means that users may be exposed to phishing attacks that appear legitimate due to the compromised application interface, making these vulnerabilities particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users trust the application interface. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers social engineering through malicious web content, and T1071.001, which addresses application layer protocol usage.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-4370 must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements to prevent similar vulnerabilities in the application. The most effective immediate solution involves implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms that sanitize all user-supplied parameters before they are processed or displayed. This includes implementing strict parameter validation for the sid and a parameters in their respective scripts, ensuring that any malicious input is rejected or properly escaped before inclusion in web responses. Organizations should also implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts and establish proper HTTP-only and secure flags for session cookies to prevent client-side script access. The vulnerability's remediation also requires adherence to secure coding practices that follow the OWASP Secure Coding Practices and incorporate input validation frameworks that automatically escape or sanitize user data based on context. Additionally, regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components, ensuring comprehensive protection against similar attack vectors that may exist in legacy codebases.