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Advisory 10/2006: ViewVC Undefined Charset UTF-7 XSS Vulnerability



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                    Happy Python Hackers Project
                        www.hardened-php.net

                      -= Security  Advisory =-


     Advisory: ViewVC Undefined Charset UTF-7 XSS Vulnerability
 Release Date: 2006/10/15
Last Modified: 2006/10/15
       Author: Stefan Esser [sesser@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

  Application: ViewVC <= 1.0.2
     Severity: A missing default charset definition allows XSS attacks
               against browsers interpreting UTF-7 (IE, mozilla family)
         Risk: Medium
Vendor Status: Vendor released 1.0.3 which according to vendor fixes 
               this vulnerability
   References: http://www.hardened-php.net/advisory_102006.134.html


Description:

   Quote from http://www.viewvc.org
   "ViewVC is a browser interface for CVS and Subversion version 
    control repositories. It generates templatized HTML to present 
    navigable directory, revision, and change log listings. It can 
    display specific versions of files as well as diffs between 
    those versions. Basically, ViewVC provides the bulk of the 
    report-like functionality you expect out of your version 
    control tool, but much more prettily than the average textual 
    command-line program output."
    
   It was discovered that ViewVC is neither sending a charset HTTP 
   header nor specifying a charset in the HTML body. Therefore it
   is possible to trick several browsers into decoding ViewVC pages
   UTF-7. This allows attackers to inject arbitrary UTF-7 encoded
   Java-Script code into the output.

   Please note that these UTF-7 attacks against sites with missing
   charset definitions are also exploitable in the mozilla browser
   family (seamonkey, firefox, ...). Advisories from different
   parties that describe similar vulnerabilities usually claim
   that only Internet Explorer with activated auto-detection is
   vulnerable. In reality the mozilla browser family is even more
   affected, because you can attack them no matter if charset 
   auto-detection is turned on or off.


Proof of Concept:

   The Hardened-PHP Project is not going to release a proof of
   concept exploit to the general public.


Disclosure Timeline:

   07. October 2006 - Notified ViewVC developers
   13. October 2006 - ViewVC developers release 1.0.3
   15. October 2006 - Public Disclosure


Recommendation:

   It is strongly recommended to upgrade to the newest version of
   ViewVC 1.0.3 which you can download at:

   http://viewvc.tigris.org/servlets/ProjectDocumentList?folderID=6004


GPG-Key:

   http://www.hardened-php.net/hardened-php-signature-key.asc

   pub  1024D/0A864AA1 2004-04-17 Hardened-PHP Signature Key
   Key fingerprint = 066F A6D0 E57E 9936 9082  7E52 4439 14CC 0A86 4AA1


Copyright 2006 Stefan Esser. All rights reserved.

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