Source: cve@mitre.org
Biometric Shift Employee Management System has XSS via the Last_Name parameter in an index.php?user=ajax request.
Biometric Shift Employee Management System suffers from a critical Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability, allowing attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code into the application. This could lead to account compromise, data theft, and complete system takeover by manipulating user sessions and browser behavior.
Step 1: Payload Delivery: The attacker crafts a malicious payload containing JavaScript code designed to execute within the victim's browser.
Step 2: Request Injection: The attacker crafts a URL that includes the malicious payload within the Last_Name parameter of an index.php?user=ajax request.
Step 3: Server Processing: The vulnerable application receives the crafted request and processes it. The Last_Name parameter, containing the malicious payload, is retrieved.
Step 4: Unsanitized Output: The application fails to properly sanitize or encode the Last_Name parameter before including it in the HTML response.
Step 5: Browser Execution: The victim's browser receives the HTML response containing the malicious JavaScript payload. The browser then executes the injected script.
Step 6: Exploitation: The injected JavaScript code executes, potentially allowing the attacker to steal user credentials (e.g., session cookies), redirect the user to a phishing site, or perform other malicious actions within the context of the vulnerable application.
The vulnerability stems from a failure to properly sanitize user-supplied input within the Last_Name parameter when handling requests to index.php?user=ajax. The application directly incorporates this unsanitized input into the HTML response, allowing an attacker to inject arbitrary JavaScript code. The root cause is a lack of input validation and output encoding (specifically, HTML entity encoding) of the Last_Name parameter before it is rendered in the user's browser. This allows for the execution of malicious scripts within the context of the vulnerable application, enabling attackers to steal cookies, redirect users, or deface the website. The use of the ajax request suggests the data is likely being dynamically loaded, making the XSS attack more impactful as it could be triggered on various pages or actions.
While no specific APT groups are directly linked to this CVE, XSS vulnerabilities are frequently exploited by a wide range of threat actors, including those involved in credential harvesting, phishing campaigns, and web defacement. The ease of exploitation makes it a popular choice for both opportunistic and targeted attacks. This CVE is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog, but the underlying vulnerability type (XSS) is a common target for malicious actors.
Network Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDS): Monitor for suspicious HTTP requests containing JavaScript payloads in the Last_Name parameter or other user input fields, particularly in requests to index.php?user=ajax.
Web Application Firewalls (WAFs): Configure WAF rules to detect and block XSS attempts, specifically those targeting the Last_Name parameter.
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM): Analyze web server logs for unusual patterns, such as repeated attempts to inject JavaScript code or unexpected redirects.
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR): Monitor client-side execution of JavaScript, looking for suspicious scripts or behavior that could indicate an XSS attack.
Forensic Analysis: Examine web server logs for malicious requests and browser logs for evidence of injected scripts. Look for unusual activity associated with user accounts.
Input Validation: Implement robust input validation on the server-side to ensure that the Last_Name parameter only accepts valid data (e.g., alphanumeric characters, limited special characters).
Output Encoding: Implement proper output encoding (e.g., HTML entity encoding) to escape special characters (e.g., <, >, &, ', ") within the Last_Name parameter before rendering it in the HTML response. This prevents the browser from interpreting the input as executable code.
Content Security Policy (CSP): Implement a strict CSP to restrict the sources from which the browser can load resources (e.g., scripts, stylesheets). This can mitigate the impact of XSS attacks by preventing the execution of injected JavaScript code.
Regular Security Audits: Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing to identify and address vulnerabilities, including XSS.
Keep Software Updated: Ensure that the Biometric Shift Employee Management System and all related software components (e.g., web server, database) are up-to-date with the latest security patches.
Least Privilege: Ensure that user accounts have the minimum necessary privileges to perform their tasks. This can limit the impact of a successful XSS attack.
Web Application Firewall (WAF): Deploy and configure a WAF to filter malicious traffic and prevent XSS attacks.