CVE-2010-0606 in osTicket
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in scp/ajax.php in osTicket before 1.6.0 Stable allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the f parameter, possibly related to an error message generated by scp/admin.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/30/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-0606 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the osTicket help desk system version 1.6.0 Stable and earlier. This security weakness resides in the scp/ajax.php component of the application, which processes administrative requests through the web interface. The vulnerability specifically affects authenticated users who can leverage this flaw to inject malicious web scripts or HTML content into the system, potentially compromising the security of other users who interact with the affected interface.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through manipulation of the 'f' parameter within the scp/ajax.php script. When users with administrative privileges access certain error handling functions in scp/admin.php, the system fails to properly sanitize or validate input data before rendering it within the web interface. This improper input handling creates an environment where malicious code can be injected and subsequently executed in the context of other users' browsers. The flaw operates as a reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability, where the malicious payload is reflected back to the user through the application's error message handling mechanism.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it allows attackers with administrative access to potentially escalate their privileges or compromise the entire help desk system. Since the vulnerability affects authenticated users, attackers must first obtain valid credentials, but once achieved, they can execute arbitrary code within the browser context of other administrators or users. This could lead to session hijacking, data theft, privilege escalation, or the installation of backdoors within the application environment. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations relying on osTicket for customer support, as compromised administrative accounts could expose sensitive customer data and system configurations.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability include immediate upgrading to osTicket version 1.6.0 Stable or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the XSS flaw. Organizations should also implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application, particularly in error handling components. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which describes cross-site scripting flaws, and follows patterns typically associated with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 related to spearphishing with links. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers and regular security code reviews can help prevent similar issues in other applications, while network segmentation and monitoring of administrative access logs should be employed to detect potential exploitation attempts.