CVE-2009-3833 in TFTgallery
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in index.php in TFTgallery 0.13 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the album parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/06/2025
The CVE-2009-3833 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the TFTgallery 0.13 web application, specifically targeting the index.php script. This vulnerability falls under the broader category of CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which is a fundamental weakness in web application security. The vulnerability manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user input before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary scripts in the context of other users' browsers.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the album parameter within the index.php script, where an attacker can craft malicious input that gets reflected back to users without proper sanitization or encoding. When a victim visits a page containing the maliciously crafted album parameter, their browser executes the injected script code, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it leverages the trust relationship between the web application and its users, allowing attackers to bypass normal security restrictions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable sophisticated attacks such as credential harvesting, session manipulation, and data exfiltration. Attackers can exploit this weakness to steal user sessions, redirect victims to phishing sites, or inject malicious content that persists within the gallery application. The vulnerability affects all users of TFTgallery 0.13 who interact with the index.php page, making it a significant threat to the application's integrity and user security. This weakness aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 - Establishing Persistence, as attackers can maintain access through persistent script injection.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2009-3833 should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. Developers should employ strict sanitization of all user-provided parameters, particularly those used in dynamic page generation. The application should implement proper HTML encoding for all output data, ensuring that special characters are properly escaped to prevent script execution. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities, while also ensuring that the application follows secure coding practices as outlined in OWASP Top Ten and other security frameworks. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation and output encoding in preventing XSS attacks, as recommended by both CWE guidelines and ATT&CK framework methodologies.