CVE-2009-4786 in Pligg
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Pligg before 1.0.3 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the HTTP Referer header to (1) admin/admin_config.php, (2) admin/admin_modules.php, (3) delete.php, (4) editlink.php, (5) submit.php, (6) submit_groups.php, (7) user_add_remove_links.php, and (8) user_settings.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/08/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-4786 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting the Pligg content management system prior to version 1.0.3. This vulnerability resides in the application's handling of HTTP Referer headers, which are typically used by web browsers to indicate the address of the page that linked to the current resource. The flaw allows remote attackers to inject malicious scripts or HTML content through these headers, potentially compromising the security of users interacting with the affected system. The vulnerability impacts multiple administrative and user-facing pages within the Pligg platform, including core configuration and module management interfaces.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization within the Pligg application's codebase. When the system processes HTTP Referer headers without proper sanitization, it fails to escape or filter potentially malicious content that could contain script tags or other harmful HTML elements. This weakness creates an injection vector where attacker-controlled data flows directly into the application's response without adequate security controls. The vulnerability specifically affects eight distinct files within the application's administrative and user management sections, indicating a systemic issue in how the platform handles external input sources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with the capability to execute malicious code within the context of authenticated user sessions. This could enable unauthorized access to administrative functions, data manipulation, session hijacking, or the redirection of users to malicious websites. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to gain persistent access to the system, potentially leading to complete compromise of the Pligg installation and its underlying data. The affected pages include administrative configuration interfaces, user management functions, and content submission mechanisms, making the attack surface particularly broad and dangerous for system administrators and regular users alike.
Security practitioners should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which describes cross-site scripting flaws where untrusted data is incorporated into web pages without proper validation or encoding. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a web application vulnerability that can be exploited for initial access or privilege escalation within compromised environments. Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching to version 1.0.3 or later, implementation of proper input validation for all HTTP headers, and deployment of web application firewalls to monitor and filter suspicious referer header content. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments of their Pligg installations and implement proper output encoding mechanisms to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in other parts of their web applications.