CVE-2008-5569 in PHPepperShop
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in PHPepperShop 1.4 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the PATH_INFO to (1) index.php or (2) shop/kontakt.php, or (3) shop_kunden_mgmt.php or (4) SHOP_KONFIGURATION.php in shop/Admin/.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-5569 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting PHPepperShop version 1.4, a web-based e-commerce platform that enables online store management. This vulnerability resides within the application's input validation mechanisms and specifically targets the handling of PATH_INFO parameters that are passed to several administrative scripts. The flaw allows remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of authenticated users' browsers, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data, session hijacking, or complete compromise of the administrative interface. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects multiple administrative endpoints within the shop/Admin/ directory, amplifying its potential impact on system security and user privacy.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input within the PATH_INFO parameter processing mechanism. When attackers craft malicious URLs with specially formatted PATH_INFO data, the application fails to properly validate or escape these inputs before rendering them in web pages. This lack of input sanitization creates an environment where attackers can inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript code that executes in the victim's browser context. The vulnerability affects four distinct files including index.php, shop/kontakt.php, shop_kunden_mgmt.php, and SHOP_KONFIGURATION.php, indicating a systemic issue in how the application processes PATH_INFO parameters across its administrative interface. According to CWE classification, this represents a CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability, which is categorized under the broader category of web application security flaws that directly impact user session integrity and data confidentiality.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it enables attackers to manipulate the administrative interface and potentially gain unauthorized access to customer data, product information, and financial transactions. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to steal administrator session cookies, modify product prices, add malicious products, or even delete critical database entries. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires no authentication to initiate, making it a server-side vulnerability that can be exploited by anyone with knowledge of the application's URL structure. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001: Phishing, as attackers can craft malicious URLs that appear legitimate to users, and T1071.001: Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocols, since it exploits web application vulnerabilities through HTTP request parameters. The affected administrative endpoints provide access to sensitive customer data management, order processing, and system configuration functions, making this vulnerability particularly attractive to threat actors seeking to compromise e-commerce operations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms across all application endpoints. The most effective immediate solution involves sanitizing all PATH_INFO parameters before processing them, applying proper HTML entity encoding to prevent script execution, and implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution contexts. Organizations should also implement proper access controls and authentication mechanisms to limit exposure of administrative interfaces to unauthorized users. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar input validation flaws in other application components. Additionally, deploying web application firewalls and implementing proper logging mechanisms can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of input validation in web applications and the need for comprehensive security testing throughout the software development lifecycle to prevent such persistent flaws from affecting production systems.