CVE-2008-6550 in glossaire
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in glossaire.php in Glossaire 2.0 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the letter parameter. 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 • 07/05/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-6550 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw located within the glossaire.php script of the Glossaire 2.0 web application. This type of vulnerability falls under the broader category of input validation failures that have been consistently categorized by CWE-79 as "Cross-site Scripting" within the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. The specific flaw manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input passed through the letter parameter, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML content within the context of other users' browsers.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious payload containing script code and passes it through the letter parameter to the vulnerable glossaire.php endpoint. When the application processes this input without adequate sanitization or encoding, the malicious script becomes embedded within the application's output and subsequently executed in the victim's browser. This creates a persistent threat vector that can be leveraged to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning because it operates entirely within the web application layer without requiring any special privileges or access to underlying system resources.
From an operational perspective, this XSS vulnerability presents significant risks to both application integrity and user security. The attack surface is relatively broad since the letter parameter is likely used for navigation or filtering purposes within the glossary functionality, making it a common entry point for exploitation. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent malicious presence within the application environment, potentially enabling more sophisticated attacks such as credential theft or privilege escalation. The fact that this vulnerability affects a glossary application suggests it may be used in educational or enterprise settings where sensitive information is managed, increasing the potential impact of successful exploitation.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The primary defense involves sanitizing all user-provided input through proper encoding before processing or displaying it within the application context. This approach aligns with the defensive programming principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter. Additionally, implementing a Content Security Policy (CSP) header can provide an additional layer of protection by restricting the sources from which scripts can be executed. The application should also employ proper parameter validation to ensure that only expected character sets are accepted for the letter parameter, thereby preventing malicious payloads from being processed. Regular security testing including dynamic application security testing and manual penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities throughout the application codebase.
The vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly benign input parameters can become dangerous attack vectors when proper security controls are not implemented. This particular flaw highlights the importance of secure coding practices and the need for comprehensive security testing throughout the software development lifecycle. Organizations should implement regular security training for developers and establish secure coding standards that specifically address XSS prevention techniques. The use of automated security tools and static application security testing can help identify such vulnerabilities before they can be exploited in production environments. Furthermore, maintaining up-to-date security patches and monitoring for similar vulnerabilities in third-party components is essential for comprehensive security management.