CVE-2009-4939 in AdPeeps
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in index.php in AdPeeps 8.5d1 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) uid parameter, (2) uid parameter in a login_lookup action, (3) uid parameter in an adminlogin action, (4) campaignid parameter in a createcampaign action, (5) type parameter in a view_account_stats action, (6) period parameter in a view_account_stats action, (7) uid parameter in a view_adrates action, (8) accname parameter in an account_confirmation action, (9) loginpass parameter in an account_confirmation action, (10) e9 parameter in a setup_account action, (11) from parameter in an email_advertisers action, (12) message parameter in an email_advertisers action, (13) idno parameter in an edit_ad_package action, (14) Advertiser Name field, (15) First Name field, (16) Last Name field, (17) Address field, (18) Phone Number field, (19) Password Hint field, or (20) URL field; and (21) allow remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via an unspecified form associated with a view_adrates action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/03/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-4939 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in the AdPeeps 8.5d1 web application, specifically within the index.php file. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly escape or filter user-supplied data before processing or rendering it within web pages. The flaw affects multiple parameters across various application actions, creating a widespread attack surface that could potentially compromise user sessions and data integrity. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting weaknesses in web applications, and demonstrates how insufficient sanitization of user inputs can lead to severe security implications.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the injection of malicious JavaScript code or HTML content into various parameters throughout the AdPeeps application interface. Attackers can leverage parameters such as uid, campaignid, type, period, accname, loginpass, e9, from, message, idno, and fields including Advertiser Name, First Name, Last Name, Address, Phone Number, Password Hint, and URL to execute arbitrary code within the context of a victim's browser. The vulnerability affects both unauthenticated and authenticated attack scenarios, with the latter allowing authenticated users to inject malicious content through unspecified forms associated with the view_adrates action. This dual attack vector significantly increases the potential impact and exploitability of the vulnerability.
The operational impact of CVE-2009-4939 extends beyond simple data theft or manipulation, as it enables attackers to potentially hijack user sessions, redirect victims to malicious websites, or execute persistent attacks against the application's user base. The vulnerability's presence in core administrative and user management functions means that successful exploitation could lead to complete system compromise, unauthorized access to sensitive advertising data, and potential financial fraud through manipulation of campaign parameters and user credentials. The widespread nature of affected parameters suggests that attackers could target multiple user roles and system functions, potentially allowing for privilege escalation or data exfiltration across different application modules.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. The recommended approach includes applying strict sanitization routines to all user-supplied parameters before processing or rendering them in web responses, implementing proper HTML entity encoding for dynamic content, and establishing a robust content security policy to prevent script execution. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious payloads, conduct regular security code reviews to identify similar vulnerabilities, and ensure all application components are regularly updated to address known security flaws. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following secure coding practices as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059 for command and scripting interpreter, highlighting the need for comprehensive security controls to prevent such injection-based attacks.