# CVE-2005-2638: Cross-site scripting in n/a

> Remote attackers can inject arbitrary web script or HTML via specific parameters in PHPFreeNews, potentially compromising user sessions.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.3 (`AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 20 Aug 2005
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-2h8w-6w44-87fv

## What is CVE-2005-2638?

CVE-2005-2638 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in n/a, published on 20 Aug 2005. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in PHPFreeNews 1.40 and earlier allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) NewsMode parameter to NewsCategoryForm.php, or the (2) Match or (3) NewsMode parameter to SearchResults.php.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2005-2638?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Phpfreenews Phpfreenews.

## How do I fix CVE-2005-2638?

No fix has been published for CVE-2005-2638 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2005-2638 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2005-2638 exists.

Public exploit code:

- PHPFreeNews 1.40 - 'NewsCategoryForm.php?NewsMode' Cross-Site Scripting (exploitdb)
- PHPFreeNews 1.40 - 'searchresults.php' Multiple Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerabilities (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2005-2637](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-2637/): SQL injection in n/a (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2005-2638 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2005-2638 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in n/a, published on 20 Aug 2005. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2005-2638 exists.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-2638/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-2638/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2005-2638
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2005-2638
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2005-2638

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-2638/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.