CVE-2009-4894 in PunBB
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in profile.php in PunBB before 1.3.4 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) password or (2) e-mail.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/06/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-4894 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in PunBB versions prior to 1.3.4, specifically within the profile.php script. This issue exposes the forum software to malicious injection attacks that can compromise user sessions and data integrity. The vulnerability affects the password and email fields in user profiles, creating attack vectors that can be exploited by remote threat actors without requiring authentication. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization mechanisms within the application's profile handling functionality, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers.
This vulnerability maps directly to CWE-79, which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a weakness where untrusted data is improperly integrated into web pages without proper validation or encoding. The attack occurs when user-supplied data containing malicious scripts is stored in the database and subsequently rendered back to other users without appropriate sanitization. The impact extends beyond simple script execution to potential session hijacking, credential theft, and data manipulation within the forum environment. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that exploit the vulnerable fields to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in victims' browsers, potentially leading to complete compromise of user accounts and unauthorized access to sensitive forum data.
The operational consequences of this vulnerability are severe for PunBB installations, as it enables attackers to manipulate user profiles and potentially gain unauthorized access to user accounts. When users view compromised profile pages, their browsers execute the injected malicious scripts, which can steal cookies, redirect to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The attack requires minimal sophistication and can be automated, making it particularly dangerous for forum administrators who may not immediately detect compromised user accounts. This vulnerability specifically targets the authentication and profile management components of the forum software, undermining the trust model that users place in their profile information and personal data.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2009-4894 involve immediate patching of PunBB installations to version 1.3.4 or later, which contains the necessary input validation fixes. Administrators should implement comprehensive output encoding for all user-supplied data, particularly in profile fields, to prevent script injection. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against script execution, while regular security audits of input validation mechanisms should be conducted. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script injection attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and output encoding practices, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1566 for credential access through malicious script injection and T1059 for command and control through script execution. Regular security updates and vulnerability assessments are essential to prevent exploitation of similar weaknesses in web applications.