CVE-2008-5203 in PowerAward
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in external_vote.php in PowerAward 1.1.0 RC1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the l_vote_done parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/31/2024
The CVE-2008-5203 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the PowerAward 1.1.0 RC1 web application, specifically targeting the external_vote.php script. This vulnerability resides in the handling of user input through the l_vote_done parameter, creating a dangerous attack vector that enables remote adversaries to execute malicious code within the context of victim browsers. The flaw demonstrates poor input validation and output sanitization practices that have become foundational concepts in modern web security frameworks.
This vulnerability operates through the exploitation of insufficient data sanitization mechanisms within the application's vote processing functionality. When the l_vote_done parameter is submitted to external_vote.php, the application fails to properly validate or escape the input before incorporating it into dynamic web content. The attack scenario involves an attacker crafting malicious script code within the parameter value, which gets executed when legitimate users view the affected page. This type of vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79, which categorizes cross-site scripting as a critical weakness in web applications where untrusted data is improperly handled in web pages.
The operational impact of CVE-2008-5203 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, deface web pages, steal sensitive cookies, or redirect users to malicious sites. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of user interactions with the PowerAward application, potentially compromising user authentication tokens and personal information. Attackers could leverage this weakness to impersonate legitimate users, manipulate voting results, or establish persistent backdoors within the application's user base. The attack requires no privileged access and can be executed through simple web browser interactions, making it particularly dangerous in environments where user trust is paramount.
Security practitioners should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms to address this vulnerability. The recommended mitigations include implementing strict parameter validation for the l_vote_done input, applying HTML entity encoding to all dynamic content before rendering, and utilizing secure coding practices that prevent user-supplied data from being executed as code. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution and establish proper input sanitization routines. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007, which covers scripting through web shells, and demonstrates the importance of following secure coding guidelines as outlined in OWASP Top Ten. The remediation process must include thorough code review of all user input handling mechanisms and implementation of automated testing procedures to detect similar vulnerabilities in other application components.