CVE-2008-6428 in Kaya
Summary
by MITRE
The CGI framework in Kaya 0.4.0 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary HTTP headers and conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/31/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-6428 affects the CGI framework implementation within Kaya version 0.4.0, presenting a critical security risk that enables remote attackers to manipulate HTTP headers and execute cross-site scripting attacks. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the web application framework, creating pathways for malicious actors to inject harmful code into HTTP responses. The vulnerability specifically targets the framework's handling of HTTP header construction, where improper validation allows attackers to insert malicious headers that can redirect users or manipulate browser behavior. The impact extends beyond simple header injection to include XSS capabilities, as the framework fails to properly escape or filter user-supplied data that flows into HTTP responses. This flaw represents a fundamental breakdown in the application's security architecture, particularly concerning the separation of concerns between user input and HTTP response generation.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves attackers crafting malicious input that bypasses the framework's validation checks, allowing them to inject HTTP headers containing malicious payloads. These injected headers can manipulate the HTTP response in ways that facilitate further attacks, including session hijacking, redirecting users to malicious sites, or injecting JavaScript code that executes in the context of other users' browsers. The XSS component of this vulnerability occurs when user input is not properly sanitized before being rendered in web pages, enabling attackers to execute arbitrary scripts in victims' browsers. This dual nature of the vulnerability means that a single attack vector can simultaneously enable header manipulation and cross-site scripting, amplifying the potential damage. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that multiple input points within the CGI framework may be susceptible to this type of injection attack, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it may not be easily predictable or limited to specific endpoints.
The operational impact of CVE-2008-6428 extends far beyond simple data theft or service disruption, as it provides attackers with the capability to completely compromise user sessions and manipulate web application behavior. Organizations using Kaya 0.4.0 frameworks become vulnerable to session fixation attacks, where attackers can hijack legitimate user sessions and gain unauthorized access to protected resources. The XSS component creates persistent threat vectors that can affect multiple users over extended periods, as malicious scripts injected into HTTP responses can remain active until the application is updated or the affected pages are refreshed. This vulnerability directly violates several security principles including input validation, output encoding, and secure header management, which are fundamental requirements in secure application development. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that CGI frameworks often serve as foundational components for web applications, meaning that exploitation could potentially compromise entire application infrastructures rather than isolated components.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the CGI framework. The most effective immediate solution involves sanitizing all user-supplied data before it is processed or included in HTTP responses, ensuring that potentially malicious characters are properly escaped or removed. Organizations should implement proper HTTP header validation that prevents unauthorized header injection by restricting input to known good values or applying strict regular expression patterns to validate header content. The framework should enforce strict content security policies and implement proper XSS protection mechanisms, including automatic HTML encoding of dynamic content and the use of secure header configurations. From a defensive perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-116 for improper encoding of output and CWE-79 for cross-site scripting, while also mapping to ATT&CK techniques involving header injection and XSS exploitation. Regular security audits and input validation testing should be implemented to prevent similar issues in future development cycles, and the affected Kaya framework should be updated to a version that addresses these fundamental security flaws in HTTP response handling.