CVE-2008-6799 in FlashChat
Summary
by MITRE
connection.php in FlashChat 5.0.8 allows remote attackers to bypass the role filter mechanism and gain administrative privileges by setting the s parameter to "7."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/25/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-6799 affects FlashChat version 5.0.8 and represents a critical authorization bypass flaw that undermines the application's security model. This issue resides within the connection.php script which handles user authentication and role management. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation and inadequate role filtering mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-provided parameters before processing them within the privilege escalation logic.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through manipulation of the s parameter in the connection.php script. When attackers set this parameter to the value "7", they can circumvent the intended role filtering system that should restrict access to administrative functions. This parameter manipulation allows unauthorized users to assume administrative privileges without proper authentication or authorization. The flaw demonstrates a classic case of insecure input handling where user-supplied data directly influences access control decisions, creating a path for privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables remote attackers to gain full administrative control over the FlashChat application. Once exploited, attackers can perform any administrative function including user management, configuration changes, data manipulation, and potentially access sensitive information stored within the chat system. This remote code execution capability through privilege escalation represents a significant threat to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. The vulnerability affects the application's core security architecture and can lead to complete system compromise if not addressed promptly.
Organizations utilizing FlashChat 5.0.8 should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patch or upgrade to a secure version that properly validates and sanitizes the s parameter. Network-level protections such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems should be configured to monitor for suspicious parameter values. Input validation mechanisms should be strengthened to reject any non-standard values for the s parameter and implement proper role-based access controls. This vulnerability highlights the importance of secure coding practices and proper authorization checks as outlined in the software security principles. The attack vector demonstrates how simple parameter manipulation can lead to significant security breaches, emphasizing the need for robust input validation and access control implementations. Organizations should also consider implementing principle of least privilege concepts and regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in their systems.