CVE-2009-2153 in Impleo Music Collection
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in index.php in Impleo Music Collection 2.0 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the sort parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/01/2024
The CVE-2009-2153 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Impleo Music Collection 2.0 web application, specifically targeting the index.php script. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security weaknesses. The flaw manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user input passed through the sort parameter, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript code directly into the web page output. The vulnerability exists because the application does not implement adequate input validation or output encoding mechanisms to prevent malicious scripts from executing in the context of other users' browsers.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious URL containing script code within the sort parameter value. When a victim accesses this specially crafted URL, the web application processes the unvalidated input and reflects the malicious script back to the victim's browser within the page content. This creates a persistent XSS vector that can be used to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of users, or redirect victims to malicious websites. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects a core application functionality that users would naturally interact with, making it difficult to detect and prevent through simple user education alone.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it provides attackers with the ability to establish persistent access to user sessions within the application context. Attackers can leverage this weakness to execute malicious scripts that may harvest sensitive information, manipulate application data, or even escalate privileges within the application environment. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the web application by creating potential attack vectors for session hijacking, data manipulation, and user impersonation. Given that the flaw exists in the index.php script, which likely serves as a primary interface for users to browse and interact with the music collection, the potential attack surface is significant and could impact multiple users simultaneously.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2009-2153 should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. The most effective approach involves sanitizing all user-supplied input, particularly parameters like the sort field, through proper encoding before rendering them in HTML output. This aligns with the OWASP Top Ten security practices and ATT&CK technique T1059 for command and scripting interpreter. Developers should implement strict input validation that rejects or removes potentially dangerous characters and patterns, while also employing output encoding techniques that prevent script execution in HTML contexts. Additionally, implementing a Content Security Policy (CSP) header can provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts can be loaded and executed, effectively limiting the damage that malicious scripts can cause even if they manage to bypass primary defenses.