CVE-2008-4379 in Hot Links Sql Php
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in report.php in Mr. CGI Guy Hot Links SQL-PHP 3.0 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the id parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/03/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-4379 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Mr. CGI Guy Hot Links SQL-PHP 3.0 software suite, specifically affecting the report.php component. This issue manifests as a security weakness that permits malicious actors to execute unauthorized web scripts or HTML content within the context of legitimate user sessions. The vulnerability resides in the improper handling of user-supplied input through the id parameter, which fails to implement adequate sanitization or validation measures before incorporating the data into dynamic web content generation.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious URL containing crafted script code within the id parameter of the report.php script. When the vulnerable application processes this input without proper filtering or encoding, the injected malicious code becomes part of the web page response and executes within the browser of unsuspecting users who access the affected page. This type of flaw directly maps to CWE-79, which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a weakness where untrusted data is incorporated into web pages without proper validation or encoding, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate the behavior of web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it can enable sophisticated attack vectors including session hijacking, credential theft, and redirection to malicious sites. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to steal user sessions, capture sensitive information, or manipulate the application behavior in ways that compromise the integrity and confidentiality of the affected system. The vulnerability affects all versions of the software up to and including version 3.0, indicating a long-standing security flaw that was not addressed in the software lifecycle. This exposure creates a persistent risk for organizations using outdated versions of the software, as the vulnerability remains exploitable regardless of other security measures in place.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the application code. The most effective approach involves sanitizing all user-supplied input through proper validation routines that reject or encode potentially dangerous characters before processing. Organizations should implement proper HTML encoding of output data to prevent script execution in web contexts, as recommended by the OWASP Top Ten security guidelines. Additionally, application developers should adopt secure coding practices that align with the ATT&CK framework's mitigation recommendations for web application vulnerabilities, including input sanitization and output encoding controls. The remediation process should also involve immediate patching or upgrading to newer versions of the software where this vulnerability has been addressed, along with comprehensive security testing to ensure no similar flaws exist within the application's codebase.