Source: cve@mitre.org
PHPJabbers Star Rating Script 4.0 has stored XSS via a rating item.
PHPJabbers Star Rating Script 4.0 is vulnerable to stored cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. This allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript into the application, potentially leading to account compromise, data theft, or website defacement. Successful exploitation requires no special privileges and can be achieved by submitting a crafted rating item.
Step 1: Payload Creation: The attacker crafts a malicious payload containing JavaScript code (e.g., <script>alert('XSS')</script>).
Step 2: Payload Submission: The attacker submits the crafted payload as a rating item, typically through a web form within the Star Rating Script.
Step 3: Data Storage: The script stores the malicious payload in its database, without proper sanitization or encoding.
Step 4: Victim Interaction: A legitimate user views the page where the rating item is displayed. The script retrieves the stored payload from the database.
Step 5: Payload Execution: The script renders the rating item, including the attacker's malicious JavaScript code. The victim's browser executes the JavaScript code within the context of the website, leading to the XSS vulnerability.
The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the PHPJabbers Star Rating Script 4.0. Specifically, the script fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data when storing rating items. This allows an attacker to inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript code into the rating item's data. When the rating item is subsequently displayed, the injected code is executed within the context of the victim's browser, leading to the XSS vulnerability. The root cause is a lack of proper input sanitization and output encoding (e.g., HTML escaping) when handling user-provided rating data. This allows malicious code to be stored in the database and then rendered without proper protection.
While no specific APTs are directly linked to this CVE, the ease of exploitation and potential for widespread impact make it attractive to various threat actors. This vulnerability could be used as a stepping stone for further attacks. This is not listed on the CISA KEV.
Web Application Firewall (WAF) logs showing suspicious HTTP requests containing JavaScript payloads (e.g., <script>, onerror, onload).
Server-side logs indicating the injection of HTML or JavaScript code into the database fields related to rating items.
Network traffic analysis revealing unusual client-side behavior, such as redirects or unexpected JavaScript execution.
Content Security Policy (CSP) violations reported by browsers, indicating the execution of unauthorized scripts.
Forensic analysis of the database to identify stored XSS payloads within rating item data.
Implement robust input validation to sanitize all user-supplied data, ensuring that only expected data types and formats are accepted. Specifically, filter out or encode any characters that could be used to inject HTML or JavaScript.
Apply output encoding (e.g., HTML escaping) to all data displayed on the website, especially data retrieved from user input or the database. This prevents the browser from interpreting malicious code as active content.
Use a Content Security Policy (CSP) to restrict the sources from which the browser can load resources, mitigating the impact of XSS attacks. Configure CSP to prevent the execution of inline scripts and limit the use of external scripts.
Regularly update the PHPJabbers Star Rating Script to the latest version or apply any available security patches.
Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to filter malicious requests and block known XSS payloads.
Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing to identify and address vulnerabilities.