CVE-2008-4892 in MyGallery
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in gallery.inc.php in Planetluc MyGallery 1.7.2 and earlier, and possibly other versions before 1.8.1, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the mghash parameter. NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/13/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-4892 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw that affects the Planetluc MyGallery content management system. This issue resides within the gallery.inc.php component and impacts versions 1.7.2 and earlier, with potential exposure extending to versions prior to 1.8.1. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamic web page content. The mghash parameter serves as the primary attack vector, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML code that executes within the context of other users' browsers. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in software applications.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious payload containing script code and passes it through the mghash parameter in the application's URL structure. When the vulnerable system processes this input without proper sanitization, the injected code becomes part of the dynamic page generation and gets executed whenever other users view the affected gallery page. The execution context is particularly dangerous because it occurs within the victim's browser session, potentially allowing attackers to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of users, or redirect them to malicious sites. This vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the web application's input handling mechanisms, making it a prime candidate for exploitation through social engineering techniques or by compromising user trust within the gallery environment.
The operational impact of CVE-2008-4892 extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it can enable more sophisticated attacks within the compromised environment. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access through session hijacking or to perform privilege escalation attacks if the gallery system handles user authentication. The vulnerability's presence in widely used gallery systems means that successful exploitation could affect numerous websites, potentially leading to widespread compromise of user data and system integrity. Organizations using affected versions of Planetluc MyGallery face significant risk of unauthorized access and data exposure, particularly in environments where user-generated content is processed without proper security controls. The vulnerability's classification aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers social engineering attacks through malicious web content.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily focus on immediate version upgrades to 1.8.1 or later, where the developers have implemented proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should also implement comprehensive input sanitization routines that filter or escape special characters in user-supplied parameters before processing them within the application. Web application firewalls and security monitoring systems can provide additional layers of protection by detecting and blocking suspicious input patterns targeting the mghash parameter. Security teams should conduct thorough code reviews to identify similar input validation weaknesses in other application components and implement proper output encoding practices. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing to ensure that all user-supplied inputs are properly sanitized and that the application maintains secure default configurations. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify potential XSS vulnerabilities in web applications, as this type of flaw remains one of the most prevalent security issues in web environments and continues to affect modern applications despite decades of known mitigation techniques.