CVE-2008-6510 in Openfire
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in login.jsp in the Admin Console in Openfire 3.6.0a and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the url parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/24/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-6510 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in the Openfire administration console's login page. This issue affects versions 3.6.0a and earlier, where the login.jsp component fails to properly sanitize user input parameters, specifically the url parameter that is used for redirecting users after successful authentication. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the web application's authentication flow, creating an exploitable condition that allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content into the application's response.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which categorizes cross-site scripting as a code injection flaw where untrusted data is embedded into web pages viewed by other users. The flaw occurs because the application directly incorporates user-supplied input from the url parameter without proper sanitization or encoding before rendering it in the web page context. When an authenticated user visits the login page with a malicious url parameter, the application processes this input and reflects it back to the user's browser without adequate protection measures. This creates a persistent vulnerability that can be exploited to execute malicious scripts in the context of the victim's browser session, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or other malicious activities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with a potential foothold for more sophisticated attacks within the Openfire environment. An attacker could craft malicious URLs that, when clicked by an authenticated administrator, would execute scripts that could steal session cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or even establish persistent backdoors within the application. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it targets the administration console, which typically has elevated privileges and access to sensitive system configurations. This makes it a prime target for attackers seeking to gain unauthorized access to the entire Openfire deployment, potentially compromising the underlying communication infrastructure and all associated services.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-6510 should focus on immediate patching of affected Openfire versions, with the implementation of proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should ensure that all user-supplied parameters are properly sanitized before being processed or rendered in web responses. The application should implement strict parameter validation for the url parameter, rejecting or encoding any input that contains potentially dangerous characters or script tags. Additionally, the use of Content Security Policy headers can provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts can be loaded. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious input patterns, while regular security assessments should verify that all input handling mechanisms properly address XSS vulnerabilities. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing to ensure that the fix does not introduce regressions in legitimate functionality while maintaining the application's intended user experience and security posture.