CVE-2009-4861 in SupportDesk
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in shownews.php in SupportPRO SupportDesk 3.0 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the PATH_INFO.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/30/2019
The CVE-2009-4861 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the SupportPRO SupportDesk 3.0 application, specifically affecting the shownews.php component. This vulnerability resides in the application's handling of PATH_INFO parameters, which are typically used to pass additional information to scripts through the URL path. The flaw allows remote attackers to execute malicious web scripts or HTML code within the context of other users' browsers, making it a significant security concern for any organization relying on this support ticketing system. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data theft, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, deface web applications, or redirect users to malicious sites.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization within the shownews.php script. When the application processes PATH_INFO parameters, it fails to properly sanitize or encode user-supplied data before incorporating it into the web page response. This creates an environment where attacker-controlled input can be seamlessly executed as part of the page's HTML content. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-79 as "Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')", which specifically addresses the failure to properly escape or encode user input before rendering it in web contexts. The flaw demonstrates a fundamental weakness in the application's security architecture where user-controllable data enters the application without proper validation mechanisms.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents substantial risks to organizations utilizing SupportPRO SupportDesk 3.0, as it allows attackers to compromise the integrity and confidentiality of the support system. A successful exploitation could enable an attacker to steal session cookies, impersonate legitimate users, or modify the content displayed to other users. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors do not require physical access to the system or network, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous. Attackers could craft malicious URLs containing script payloads that, when visited by authenticated users, would execute the malicious code in their browsers. This could lead to complete compromise of the support system's user sessions and potentially broader access to the underlying network infrastructure.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2009-4861 should focus on immediate input validation and output encoding measures. Organizations should implement proper sanitization of all PATH_INFO parameters before processing them within the application, ensuring that any potentially malicious content is neutralized through appropriate encoding or filtering techniques. The solution aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 as "Exploitation for Client Execution" where attackers leverage web-based vulnerabilities to execute code in user browsers. System administrators should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious PATH_INFO patterns, while ensuring that all users have up-to-date versions of the SupportPRO SupportDesk application. Additionally, regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components, as this flaw demonstrates a pattern of insufficient input validation that could exist elsewhere in the codebase. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of implementing defense-in-depth strategies that include both perimeter security controls and robust application-level protections against common web-based attack vectors.