CVE-2017-10667 in Zen Cart
Summary
by MITRE
In index.php in Zen Cart 1.6.0, the products_id parameter can cause XSS.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/09/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-10667 affects Zen Cart version 1.6.0 where the products_id parameter in the index.php file can be exploited to execute cross-site scripting attacks. This represents a critical security flaw that allows malicious actors to inject client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or unauthorized actions within the application context. The vulnerability specifically resides in how the application processes the products_id parameter without adequate input validation or output sanitization, creating an opening for attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code that executes in the context of other users' browsers.
This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is a widespread and well-documented security weakness in web applications. The flaw demonstrates poor input handling practices where user-supplied data is directly incorporated into web page responses without proper sanitization or encoding. The products_id parameter typically represents product identifiers in e-commerce platforms, making it a natural target for exploitation since it's frequently used in URL parameters and can be easily manipulated by attackers. When an attacker crafts a malicious URL with a specially formatted products_id parameter, the vulnerable application fails to properly escape or validate the input before rendering it in the HTML response, allowing the injected script to execute in the victim's browser.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform a range of malicious activities within the affected web application. Users who visit pages containing the malicious products_id parameter could have their session cookies stolen, leading to unauthorized access to their accounts and potentially the entire e-commerce platform. Additionally, the vulnerability could allow attackers to redirect users to malicious sites, modify page content, or harvest sensitive information from the application. Given that Zen Cart is a widely used e-commerce platform, this vulnerability could affect numerous online stores, potentially exposing customer data, order information, and financial details. The attack surface is particularly concerning because product pages are frequently visited and often contain sensitive information, making the exploitation of this vulnerability particularly dangerous for businesses relying on the platform.
The recommended mitigations for this vulnerability involve implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the application. Developers should sanitize all user-supplied parameters, including products_id, by applying appropriate encoding techniques before incorporating them into web page responses. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against script execution, while input validation should ensure that product identifiers conform to expected formats and ranges. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities throughout the application codebase, with particular attention to how all GET and POST parameters are handled. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of keeping web applications updated with the latest security patches, as this issue was likely resolved in subsequent versions of Zen Cart. Organizations should implement automated security scanning tools and maintain a comprehensive vulnerability management program to prevent similar issues from occurring in other parts of their web infrastructure, following established security frameworks such as the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity guidelines.