CVE-2008-5720 in Mayaa
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Mayaa before 1.1.23 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors involving the default error page for the org.seasar.mayaa.impl.engine.PageNotFoundException exception and possibly other exceptions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/28/2017
The CVE-2008-5720 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in the Mayaa web application framework prior to version 1.1.23. This vulnerability specifically targets the framework's error handling mechanism, particularly how it processes and displays error messages when exceptions occur during web application execution. The issue manifests when the system encounters a PageNotFoundException or similar exceptions and renders a default error page that fails to properly sanitize user input before displaying it to end users. This flaw falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security vulnerabilities.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of input parameters that trigger the framework's exception handling routines. When an attacker crafts malicious input that causes a PageNotFoundException to be thrown, the framework's default error page displays this information without adequate HTML escaping or sanitization. This allows attackers to inject arbitrary JavaScript code or HTML content that executes within the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it leverages the framework's built-in error reporting mechanisms, which are typically not considered security-sensitive areas of application code. Attackers can exploit this by manipulating URLs, form inputs, or other parameters that cause the framework to generate exceptions, thereby injecting malicious scripts that can steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform other harmful actions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it fundamentally undermines the security model of web applications built on the Mayaa framework. Once exploited, the XSS vulnerability can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive user information, perform unauthorized transactions, or even take complete control of user sessions. The attack surface is broad since any web application using the affected Mayaa framework version could be compromised, regardless of the specific application logic or business domain. This vulnerability particularly affects applications that rely on the framework's default error handling behavior, making it difficult for developers to identify and remediate without comprehensive code reviews. The impact is further amplified by the fact that the vulnerability exists in the core framework components rather than application-specific code, meaning that patches must be applied at the framework level rather than individual application levels.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-5720 require immediate application of the security patch released by the Mayaa project, specifically upgrading to version 1.1.23 or later. Organizations should also implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding practices across all framework components, particularly in error handling routines. Security teams should conduct thorough code reviews focusing on how exception messages are rendered and ensure that all user-supplied data is properly escaped before display. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers and using web application firewalls can provide additional layers of protection against exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) and CWE-79 highlights the importance of defensive programming practices including proper input sanitization and output encoding to prevent such attacks from succeeding. Organizations should also establish monitoring procedures to detect potential exploitation attempts and maintain up-to-date vulnerability assessments to identify similar weaknesses in other framework components or third-party libraries.