CVE-2009-4616 in MYRE Holiday Rental Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in search.php in MYRE Holiday Rental Manager allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the cat_id1 parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/11/2025
The CVE-2009-4616 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the MYRE Holiday Rental Manager application's search.php component. This security weakness specifically targets the cat_id1 parameter, which serves as an input field for category identification during search operations. The vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and output sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly encode or escape user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web content. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious payloads containing executable JavaScript code or HTML elements that get injected directly into the web page response, thereby compromising the application's integrity and user security.
The technical exploitation of this XSS vulnerability follows a standard pattern where malicious input is submitted through the cat_id1 parameter, bypassing the application's security controls. When the vulnerable search.php script processes this parameter, it incorporates the unsanitized input directly into the HTML response without proper encoding, creating an environment where injected scripts execute in the context of other users' browsers. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-site Scripting flaws, and represents a significant risk as it allows attackers to perform actions on behalf of legitimate users. The attack vector operates entirely through web-based interactions, requiring no special privileges or access to the underlying system infrastructure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or session hijacking, as it can enable more sophisticated attacks including credential harvesting, defacement of web content, and redirection to malicious sites. Users interacting with the holiday rental manager application could unknowingly execute malicious code that compromises their browser sessions, potentially leading to unauthorized access to personal information or financial data. The vulnerability affects all users who perform searches using the affected parameter, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users interact with the same application instance. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566 (Phishing) and T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) as attackers can leverage the XSS to deliver malicious payloads and execute commands within the victim's browser context.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2009-4616 should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's data flow. The primary defense involves sanitizing all user inputs, particularly the cat_id1 parameter, by applying appropriate HTML encoding before incorporating any data into web responses. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can provide an additional layer of protection by restricting the sources from which scripts can be executed within the application context. The application should also employ proper parameter validation to reject or sanitize any input containing potentially dangerous characters or patterns commonly associated with XSS attacks. Regular security testing including dynamic application security testing (DAST) and manual penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities within the codebase, while maintaining up-to-date security patches and following secure coding practices that align with OWASP Top Ten recommendations for preventing cross-site scripting vulnerabilities.