CVE-2008-6924 in eSyndiCat
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in register.php in eSyndiCat Directory 2.2 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) username, (2) email, (3) password, (4) password2, (5) security_code, and (6) register parameters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/16/2025
The CVE-2008-6924 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in the eSyndiCat Directory 2.2 web application's registration component. This vulnerability resides within the register.php script and demonstrates a classic input validation failure that enables remote attackers to execute malicious code within the context of vulnerable user sessions. The flaw specifically affects multiple parameter fields including username, email, password, password2, security_code, and register parameters, creating an attack surface that spans the entire user registration process. Such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous as they can be exploited during routine user interactions, making detection and mitigation more challenging for system administrators.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate output encoding and input sanitization within the web application's registration handler. When users submit registration data through the affected parameters, the application fails to properly sanitize or encode the input before rendering it back to the user interface or storing it in database records. This creates opportunities for attackers to inject malicious javascript payloads or html content that executes in the browsers of other users who view the affected data. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws in web applications, and represents a fundamental failure in the principle of least privilege and secure input handling. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform session hijacking, deface web pages, steal user credentials, or redirect victims to malicious sites.
The operational impact of CVE-2008-6924 extends beyond simple data corruption or user inconvenience, as it provides attackers with persistent access vectors within the vulnerable web application environment. Successful exploitation can lead to complete compromise of user accounts, as attackers can inject scripts that capture session cookies or redirect users to phishing pages. The vulnerability's presence in the registration process means that any new user account creation can become a potential entry point for attackers to establish footholds within the application. This flaw particularly affects web applications following the OWASP Top Ten 2007 classification, where cross-site scripting was identified as a critical security risk. The attack surface is further expanded by the fact that multiple parameters are affected, increasing the probability of successful exploitation and reducing the effort required by threat actors.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-6924 must address both immediate remediation and long-term security architecture improvements. The most effective immediate solution involves implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's data flow, particularly at the registration endpoint. This includes sanitizing all user input parameters before processing and ensuring that any data rendered back to users is properly encoded using appropriate escaping techniques. Organizations should implement Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution and consider adopting modern web application frameworks that provide built-in protection against XSS attacks. Additionally, regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components. The remediation process should also include updating the affected eSyndiCat Directory version to a patched release that addresses the specific input handling issues, as this vulnerability represents a known flaw that has likely been addressed in subsequent versions according to industry best practices for vulnerability management and patch deployment.