CVE-2008-5976 in PHP JOBWEBSITE PRO
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in siteadmin/forgot.php in PHP JOBWEBSITE PRO allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via (1) the adname parameter in a Submit action or (2) the UserName field.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-5976 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the PHP JOBWEBSITE PRO application's administrative interface, specifically in the siteadmin/forgot.php file. This vulnerability exposes the system to remote code execution through malicious web script injection, creating significant security risks for organizations relying on this job portal software. The flaw manifests in two distinct attack vectors that exploit input validation weaknesses in the password recovery functionality, making it particularly dangerous as it targets the administrative recovery process where users expect heightened security measures.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input sanitization and output encoding within the forgot.php script. Attackers can manipulate the adname parameter during the Submit action or exploit the UserName field to inject malicious JavaScript code or HTML content. The root cause aligns with CWE-79, which categorizes cross-site scripting vulnerabilities as weaknesses in input validation that fail to properly encode output, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers. This particular implementation demonstrates a classic parameter-based XSS attack where user-supplied data flows directly into web page output without proper sanitization mechanisms.
The operational impact of CVE-2008-5976 extends beyond simple script injection, as successful exploitation can lead to complete session hijacking, credential theft, and unauthorized administrative access to the job website system. An attacker could potentially redirect victims to malicious sites, steal session cookies, or modify job listings and user accounts through the compromised administrative interface. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations using PHP JOBWEBSITE PRO as it undermines the integrity of the user authentication and recovery mechanisms, potentially allowing attackers to escalate privileges and gain persistent access to sensitive job portal data. The attack surface is further expanded as the vulnerability affects the administrative password recovery process, which is typically a trusted pathway within the application.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of input validation and output encoding measures across all user-supplied parameters within the forgot.php script. Organizations should implement proper HTML entity encoding for all dynamic content before rendering, utilize secure coding practices that validate and sanitize all input data, and consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to prevent unauthorized script execution. The remediation aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script injection and T1566 for credential access, emphasizing the need for robust input validation as outlined in OWASP Top Ten. Additionally, regular security audits of web applications should include thorough testing of all input fields within administrative interfaces, particularly those handling sensitive user data and recovery processes. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing comprehensive security testing procedures to identify and remediate similar flaws in web applications.