CVE-2009-0524 in RoboHelp
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Adobe RoboHelp 6 and 7, and RoboHelp Server 6 and 7, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via vectors involving files produced by RoboHelp.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/27/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2009-0524 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Adobe RoboHelp versions 6 and 7, along with RoboHelp Server versions 6 and 7. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is a pervasive security weakness that enables attackers to inject malicious client-side scripts into web applications. The flaw specifically resides in how RoboHelp processes and handles files generated by its authoring tools, creating an avenue for remote code execution through web-based interfaces.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the RoboHelp software suite. When users create help files or documentation using RoboHelp, the application generates web content that is subsequently served through RoboHelp Server. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious input that gets embedded into the generated files, particularly in areas where user-provided content is not properly sanitized. The vulnerability manifests when these malformed files are processed by the server and subsequently delivered to unsuspecting users' browsers, where the injected scripts execute in the context of the victim's session.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and redirection to malicious websites. Since RoboHelp is commonly used in enterprise environments for creating technical documentation and help systems, compromised servers can provide attackers with access to sensitive internal documentation and potentially serve as a foothold for further network infiltration. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation does not require physical access to the system, making it particularly dangerous for organizations that host documentation servers accessible over the internet.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches, implementing strict input validation for all user-generated content, and configuring web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script patterns. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1566 for Phishing, highlighting the multi-faceted attack vectors that can emerge from such weaknesses. Additional protective measures include restricting access to RoboHelp Server interfaces, implementing content security policies, and conducting regular security assessments of generated documentation files. Given the age of this vulnerability, organizations should also consider migrating to more modern documentation solutions that have better security track records and active support for security updates.