5 Major Web App Vulnerabilities

An article was recently posted on ZDNet.com highlighting vulnerabilities in 5 commonly used web applications. Here is a summary of the issues.

Apache Geronimo Application Server
Currently, hackers can obtain sensitive information through several vulnerabilities. These include:

• Directory Transversal - Hackers can potentially upload any file they desire into any directory on the server. The issue was fixed in version 2.1.4.
• Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - Hackers can inject script into the URL. See my post on XSS for more information. The issue was fixed in version 2.1.4.
• Cross-site Request Forgery - An attacker could potentially perform administrative functions through this vulnerability. It has also been fixed in version 2.1.4.

SAP cFolders
There are several XSS and HTML injection vulnerabilities. The exist because user supplied data is not properly validated by the application. These problems could allow a hacker to perform administrative tasks since a hacker could easily steal the administrative cookie from a user. These issues have been solved by SAP in newer versions of the software. Information on the vulnerable versions is not available.

CS Whois Lookup
This application has a vulnerability that allows remote command execution. Once again, this stems from a failure to properly sanitize user supplied data. The only tool a hacker needs to exploit this issue is a web browser. Right now, there are no patches available.

phpMyAdmin
phpMyAdmin is a widely used database front-end written in php. In versions before 3.1.3.2, a hacker can inject and remotely execute malicious code on the web server. Newer versions of the software have corrected this flaw.

Novell Teaming
Several attacks are possible through user-enumeration and XSS vulnerabilities. A hacker could steal cookie-based authentication information from a user. The user must click on a malicious URI for this to happen. Version 1.0.3 is vulnerable and possibly others as well.

Most of these issues can be avoided by properly validating any input data on the server-side. JavaScript validation is never enough - hackers can easily get around JavaScript controls. Also, it is very important to keep software up to date. Always install the newest patches and versions since security issues are often resolved through them.

Resources

• Five 'must-secure' Web app vulnerabilities