CVE-2008-6885 in XOOPS
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in pmlite.php in XOOPS 2.3.1 and 2.3.2a allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a STYLE attribute in a URL BBcode tag in a private message.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/20/2018
The CVE-2008-6885 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in the XOOPS content management system version 2.3.1 and 2.3.2a. This vulnerability specifically targets the pmlite.php component which handles private messaging functionality within the platform. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts by manipulating the BBcode formatting system, particularly when processing STYLE attributes within URL tags. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly filter malicious content before rendering it in user contexts. This issue directly violates the principles of secure input handling as outlined in CWE-79 which classifies cross-site scripting vulnerabilities as a fundamental web application security weakness.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when a malicious user crafts a private message containing a URL BBcode tag with embedded STYLE attributes that contain malicious JavaScript code. When another user views this private message, the browser executes the embedded script within the context of the vulnerable XOOPS installation. The attack vector leverages the trust relationship between the web application and its users, allowing attackers to bypass normal security restrictions. This vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be classified under the ATT&CK technique T1566.001 which covers the use of malicious HTML content in web applications. The flaw demonstrates a classic case of insufficient output encoding where user-supplied content containing potentially dangerous HTML attributes is not properly escaped or validated before being displayed to other users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to steal user sessions, modify user preferences, or even redirect users to malicious sites. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the web application by allowing unauthorized code execution in the context of legitimate user sessions. Since private messaging systems typically contain sensitive user communications, this vulnerability could compromise the privacy of user conversations and potentially expose personal information. The vulnerability affects all users of the affected XOOPS versions, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by any user with access to the messaging system without requiring elevated privileges.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-6885 should focus on immediate patching of the affected XOOPS installations to the latest available versions that contain proper input validation and sanitization. Organizations should implement comprehensive output encoding mechanisms that properly escape all user-supplied content before rendering it in web contexts. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional defense-in-depth measures to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts. Input validation should be strengthened to reject or sanitize any STYLE attributes within BBcode tags, and the application should enforce strict whitelisting of allowed HTML attributes. Security monitoring should include detection of suspicious BBcode patterns and unusual message content that might indicate exploitation attempts. Regular security audits of web application code should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components, and the security team should maintain awareness of the ATT&CK framework to understand potential exploitation techniques. Additionally, user education regarding the risks of clicking suspicious links in private messages can help reduce the attack surface and provide an additional layer of protection against social engineering aspects of this vulnerability.