CVE-2009-3187 in Saa
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in gamelist.php in Stand Alone Arcade 1.1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the cat parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/26/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-3187 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Stand Alone Arcade 1.1 web application, specifically affecting the gamelist.php script. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category, which defines cross-site scripting as a code injection attack that occurs when an application includes untrusted data in a web page without proper validation or escaping. The flaw manifests in the handling of the cat parameter, which serves as an input vector for attackers to execute malicious code within the context of other users' browsers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization within the gamelist.php script. When users navigate to the game list page and provide a category parameter through the cat variable, the application fails to properly validate or escape the input before incorporating it into the dynamic web page content. This oversight creates an opportunity for remote attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code or HTML content directly into the application's response, which gets executed in the browsers of unsuspecting users who subsequently access the affected page.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it enables attackers to perform various malicious activities through the compromised user sessions. An attacker could potentially steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, or inject content that modifies the application's functionality. The vulnerability particularly affects users who trust the legitimate web application, making the attack more insidious as victims are unaware they are executing malicious code within the context of a trusted site. This type of attack aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which encompasses social engineering tactics that leverage web-based vulnerabilities to compromise user systems.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal technical skill and can be accomplished through standard web-based attack tools, making it particularly dangerous in environments where the application is widely used. The attack vector is straightforward, requiring only that an attacker craft a malicious URL containing the injected script within the cat parameter and persuade users to click on it. The vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental security weakness in input validation practices and highlights the critical importance of implementing proper output encoding and input sanitization measures. Organizations using Stand Alone Arcade 1.1 should immediately implement parameter validation, input sanitization, and output encoding to prevent such attacks, while also considering the broader implications of similar vulnerabilities in other web applications that may be susceptible to the same class of attack through improper handling of user-supplied data in web page generation processes.