CVE-2009-3368 in Com Hbssearch
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Hotel Booking Reservation System (aka HBS or com_hbssearch) component for Joomla! allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the adult parameter in a showhoteldetails action to index.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/14/2024
The CVE-2009-3368 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Hotel Booking Reservation System component for Joomla CMS, specifically affecting the com_hbssearch module. This vulnerability resides in the parameter validation mechanisms of the system's web application interface, where user input is not properly sanitized before being rendered back to users. The flaw manifests when the application processes the 'adult' parameter within the 'showhoteldetails' action of the index.php script, creating an exploitable condition that allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript code into the web application's response.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input filtering and output encoding practices within the Joomla component's codebase. When a user submits data through the hotel booking interface, particularly when specifying the number of adults for a reservation, the application fails to validate or sanitize the input value before incorporating it into dynamic web content. This weakness creates a direct pathway for attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of other users' browsers, as the unfiltered parameter value gets embedded into the page's HTML output without proper HTML entity encoding or script sanitization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, potentially enabling attackers to perform session hijacking, deface the website, steal sensitive user information, or redirect victims to malicious sites. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that hotel booking systems typically handle sensitive personal data including guest information, payment details, and reservation records. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to capture session cookies, redirect users to phishing pages, or inject malicious code that persists across multiple user sessions, thereby compromising the integrity and confidentiality of the entire booking system.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as a variant of CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001, representing a credential access attack through malicious web content. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation, output encoding, and parameter sanitization measures to address the root cause. The recommended remediation involves ensuring all user-supplied input undergoes strict validation and proper HTML escaping before being rendered in web pages, along with implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution capabilities. Additionally, regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar input validation weaknesses that could compromise other components of the Joomla CMS or related web applications.