CVE-2008-6211 in mcGallery
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in PhpForums.net mcGallery 1.1 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the lang parameter to (1) admin.php, (2) index.php, (3) sess.php, (4) stats.php, (5) detail.php, (6) resize.php, and (7) show.php. NOTE: the provenance of this information is unknown; the details are obtained solely from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/04/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-6211 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting PhpForums.net mcGallery version 1.1. This security weakness resides in the application's handling of user-supplied input through the lang parameter across multiple script files including admin.php, index.php, sess.php, stats.php, detail.php, resize.php, and show.php. The vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws in web applications. These XSS vulnerabilities enable remote attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML code into the application's response, potentially compromising user sessions and data integrity.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when the mcGallery application fails to properly sanitize or validate the lang parameter input before incorporating it into dynamic web responses. When users access any of the affected pages with maliciously crafted lang parameter values, the application processes this input without adequate filtering mechanisms, allowing attackers to inject arbitrary script code that executes in the context of other users' browsers. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be leveraged to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of users, or redirect victims to malicious websites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it creates a persistent threat vector that can be exploited across multiple application modules. Attackers can craft payloads that target different pages within the gallery system, potentially compromising the entire application ecosystem. The vulnerability affects not just the user-facing interface but also administrative functions through admin.php, making it a comprehensive threat to the application's security posture. According to ATT&CK framework category T1190, this vulnerability represents a technique for gaining initial access and persistence within the target environment, as successful exploitation can lead to broader system compromise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms across all affected scripts. The application should sanitize all user-supplied input, particularly parameters like lang, using strict validation rules that reject potentially dangerous characters or patterns. Implementing Content Security Policy headers and using proper HTML encoding techniques when displaying user-generated content can significantly reduce the risk of successful exploitation. Additionally, the application should be updated to a patched version that addresses this specific vulnerability, as the original mcGallery 1.1 version appears to be outdated and likely contains other unaddressed security issues. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of their web infrastructure. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation across all application entry points and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing throughout the software development lifecycle.