CVE-2009-4460 in Auto-Surf Traffic Exchange Script
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Auto-Surf Traffic Exchange Script 1.1 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the rid parameter to (1) index.php, (2) faq.php, and (3) register.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/20/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-4460 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting the Auto-Surf Traffic Exchange Script version 1.1, a web application designed for traffic exchange services. This vulnerability resides in the application's handling of user input parameters, specifically the rid parameter that is processed across multiple core pages of the application. The flaw allows remote attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of other users' browsers, potentially compromising user sessions and data confidentiality. The vulnerability impacts three distinct endpoints including index.php, faq.php, and register.php, indicating a widespread issue in the application's input validation mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of the rid parameter, which is directly incorporated into the application's output without proper HTML escaping or validation. When users navigate to these affected pages with maliciously crafted rid values, the application fails to properly encode or filter the input before rendering it in the web page context. This creates an environment where attackers can inject arbitrary JavaScript code or HTML content that executes in the victim's browser when the page loads. The vulnerability manifests as a classic reflected cross-site scripting issue where malicious payloads are reflected back to users through the application's response, making it particularly dangerous for web applications that process user-supplied data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal user credentials, manipulate application data, or redirect users to malicious websites. Given that the affected application is a traffic exchange platform, the potential for exploitation is significant as users frequently interact with the system and may be exposed to persistent attacks. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of the application's user registration and FAQ systems, potentially allowing attackers to compromise user accounts or manipulate the traffic exchange process. This type of vulnerability directly violates security principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten, specifically addressing the risk of cross-site scripting attacks that can lead to complete application compromise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms across all user-supplied parameters. The application must sanitize all input data, particularly the rid parameter, before processing or displaying it in web responses. This includes implementing proper HTML escaping, using content security policies, and ensuring that all dynamic content is properly validated against known safe character sets. Security controls should align with the CWE-79 standard for cross-site scripting prevention, requiring that applications validate and encode all user inputs to prevent malicious code injection. Additionally, the implementation of secure coding practices and regular security testing can help identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other parts of the application. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of adhering to ATT&CK framework principles for web application security, particularly focusing on the persistence and privilege escalation techniques that attackers might employ through such XSS flaws.