CVE-2009-0764 in Kipper
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Kipper 2.01 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the charm parameter to (1) index.php and (2) kipper.php. NOTE: the provenance of this information is unknown; the details are obtained solely from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/26/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-0764 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Kipper 2.01 web applications. This vulnerability resides in the application's handling of user input parameters, specifically the charm parameter that is processed by two core files: index.php and kipper.php. The issue stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied data before rendering it within web pages. This allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript code that executes in the context of other users' browsers, creating a persistent security risk for the application's user base.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when remote attackers submit malicious payloads through the charm parameter in HTTP requests directed at the vulnerable endpoints. The flaw demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-79, which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a vulnerability where untrusted data is embedded into web pages without proper validation or encoding. The attack vector specifically targets the parameter handling mechanism in the web application's backend processing, where user input flows directly into the HTML output without appropriate sanitization. This creates a condition where attackers can craft malicious URLs or form submissions that, when processed by the vulnerable application, execute unintended code within the victim's browser context.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it provides attackers with the capability to establish persistent sessions, redirect users to malicious sites, or harvest sensitive session cookies. The vulnerability affects both index.php and kipper.php, indicating a systemic issue in the application's parameter handling architecture that could potentially compromise multiple application functions. From an attacker's perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which describes the use of malicious web content to compromise systems through social engineering or direct exploitation. The affected application becomes a vector for broader attacks including session hijacking, credential theft, and potentially more sophisticated attacks leveraging the compromised user context.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2009-0764 should prioritize immediate input validation and output encoding implementations across all user-supplied parameters. Organizations must implement proper parameter sanitization techniques that escape or filter potentially dangerous characters before processing user input, particularly for parameters like charm that are directly rendered in web output. The solution approach should follow established security practices such as implementing Content Security Policy headers, using proper HTML entity encoding for dynamic content, and ensuring all user input undergoes strict validation before being incorporated into application responses. Additionally, the application should be updated to a patched version of Kipper that addresses this specific vulnerability, as the original version contains fundamental security flaws that require architectural changes to resolve properly.