CVE-2009-4682 in Good-Bad Vote
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in vote.php in Good/Bad Vote allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the id parameter in a vote action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/02/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-4682 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Good/Bad Vote voting component, specifically targeting the vote.php script. This issue enables malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code through manipulation of the id parameter during voting operations. The vulnerability resides in the application's insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms, creating an exploitable entry point for attackers to inject malicious payloads into the voting system.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when user input from the id parameter is directly incorporated into the web page response without proper sanitization or encoding. This allows attackers to craft malicious URLs containing script tags or other HTML elements that execute in the context of other users' browsers. The flaw falls under CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting vulnerabilities as weaknesses in input validation and output encoding. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of users, or redirect victims to malicious websites.
Operationally, this vulnerability poses significant risks to the integrity and security of the voting system. Users who access the compromised voting page may unknowingly execute malicious code, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or further compromise of the application. The impact extends beyond simple script execution as it can facilitate more sophisticated attacks such as credential theft or privilege escalation within the application context. The vulnerability affects the availability and confidentiality of user data, as well as the overall trustworthiness of the voting mechanism.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2009-4682 should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding practices. The application must sanitize all user inputs, particularly those used in dynamic content generation, by employing proper HTML entity encoding before rendering any user-supplied data. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks. The system should also enforce proper parameter validation to ensure that the id parameter contains only expected values and reject any input that could be interpreted as executable code. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other components of the application. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of following secure coding practices as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 which covers exploitation of web application vulnerabilities for privilege escalation and data exfiltration purposes.