CVE-2009-0679 in RavenNuke
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Your Account module in RavenNuke 2.30 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/29/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-0679 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the RavenNuke 2.30 content management system, specifically affecting the Your Account module. This type of vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-79, which classifies improper neutralization of input during web page generation as a fundamental web application security weakness. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient sanitization of user input within the account management functionality, creating an exploitable condition where malicious actors can inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML code into the application's response.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from the failure to properly validate and escape user-supplied data before rendering it within web pages. When users interact with the Your Account module, the application processes input without adequate filtering mechanisms that would prevent malicious payloads from being executed in the context of other users' browsers. The unspecified vectors suggest that the vulnerability could be triggered through multiple input points within the account management interface, including but not limited to username fields, profile information, or any editable account parameters. This broad attack surface increases the likelihood of successful exploitation and makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous for widespread impact.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it enables attackers to execute malicious code in the context of authenticated users' sessions. This capability allows threat actors to perform actions such as stealing session cookies, modifying user permissions, accessing sensitive account information, or redirecting users to malicious websites. The vulnerability particularly threatens user privacy and application integrity, as it can be exploited to create persistent backdoors or facilitate more sophisticated attacks such as session hijacking or privilege escalation within the application's user management system. Organizations utilizing RavenNuke 2.30 are at risk of unauthorized access to user accounts, data breaches, and potential compromise of the entire application infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2009-0679 should prioritize immediate patching of the affected RavenNuke 2.30 installation with the latest security updates from the vendor. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's codebase, particularly within user account management modules. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts can be executed. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components, while user education about suspicious website behavior and the importance of secure browsing practices remains essential. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring systems to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices and the necessity of following secure coding guidelines to prevent such fundamental web application flaws from compromising system integrity. This case study exemplifies how seemingly minor input validation failures can create significant security risks that affect user trust and organizational security posture.