CVE-2008-5193 in Philboard
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in search.asp in W1L3D4 Philboard 1.14 and 1.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the searchterms parameter. NOTE: this might overlap CVE-2007-4024.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/30/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-5193 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in the W1L3D4 Philboard 1.14 and 1.2 web application. This security weakness resides within the search.asp component where user input is not properly sanitized before being rendered back to web browsers. The vulnerability specifically affects the searchterms parameter, which serves as the primary attack vector for malicious actors seeking to execute unauthorized scripts within the context of victim sessions. The flaw allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML code that gets executed when other users view the search results page, making this a classic persistent XSS vulnerability that can compromise user sessions and potentially escalate to more severe attacks.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows the standard XSS attack pattern where malicious input is submitted through the search functionality and subsequently displayed without proper output encoding or validation. When users browse search results containing malicious scripts, their browsers execute the injected code within the context of the vulnerable application, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79 which defines the weakness of cross-site scripting in web applications. The attack surface is particularly concerning as search functionality is typically one of the most accessed features in web forums, maximizing the potential impact of successful exploitation.
The operational impact of CVE-2008-5193 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to establish persistent footholds within affected systems. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or modify forum content to spread malware. The vulnerability's classification as a remote code execution risk through XSS means that even basic web browsers can become attack vectors for more sophisticated attacks. Organizations using affected versions of W1L3D4 Philboard face significant risk of data breaches, user compromise, and potential regulatory violations. The overlap with CVE-2007-4024 suggests this represents a recurring pattern of inadequate input validation in the application's codebase, indicating deeper architectural security issues that require comprehensive remediation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate implementation of proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. The application should validate and sanitize all user input, particularly parameters used in dynamic content generation, before rendering them in web pages. Implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide additional defense-in-depth measures to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts. Organizations should also consider deploying web application firewalls to detect and block malicious search queries, while conducting thorough security testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components. Regular security updates and patches should be prioritized, with the affected application versions being upgraded to secure releases that address the underlying XSS flaws. The remediation process should follow established security frameworks such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten project and the MITRE ATT&CK framework for web application security, ensuring comprehensive protection against similar vulnerabilities in the future.