Source: audit@patchstack.com
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in osuthorpe Easy Social allows Reflected XSS.This issue affects Easy Social: from n/a through 1.3.
Easy Social, a web application, suffers from a Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. This can lead to account compromise, data theft, or website defacement, severely impacting the application's integrity and user trust.
Step 1: Payload Delivery: The attacker crafts a malicious JavaScript payload designed to exploit the XSS vulnerability. This payload could be designed to steal user cookies, redirect the user to a phishing site, or deface the website.
Step 2: Input Injection: The attacker injects the crafted payload into a vulnerable input field within the Easy Social application. This could be a comment section, a search bar, or any other field where user input is accepted and displayed.
Step 3: Data Storage (if applicable): The injected payload may be stored in a database or other persistent storage, depending on the nature of the vulnerable input field (e.g., a comment section).
Step 4: Page Rendering: When a legitimate user views the page containing the injected payload, the Easy Social application renders the page, including the attacker's malicious JavaScript code.
Step 5: Script Execution: The user's web browser executes the injected JavaScript code. This allows the attacker to perform actions on behalf of the user, such as stealing their session cookies, redirecting them to a malicious website, or modifying the content of the page.
The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of user-supplied input within the Easy Social application during web page generation. Specifically, the application fails to adequately sanitize user-provided data before rendering it in the HTML response. This allows an attacker to inject malicious JavaScript code into a vulnerable input field. When a user views the page containing the injected script, their browser executes the script, enabling the attacker to perform actions on behalf of the user, such as stealing cookies, redirecting the user to a phishing site, or modifying the content of the page. The root cause is a lack of input validation and output encoding (e.g., HTML entity encoding) for user-supplied data, leading to the execution of arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of the vulnerable website.
While specific APT groups are not yet definitively linked to this specific CVE, XSS vulnerabilities are commonly exploited by a wide range of threat actors, including script kiddies, financially motivated attackers, and nation-state actors. This vulnerability is not currently listed on the CISA KEV.
Monitor web server logs for suspicious HTTP requests containing JavaScript code within input parameters (e.g., GET or POST requests).
Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to detect and block XSS payloads.
Analyze network traffic for unusual JavaScript activity, such as requests to external domains or unexpected JavaScript execution.
Inspect the HTML source code of web pages for unexpected JavaScript code or suspicious script tags.
Use a vulnerability scanner to identify XSS vulnerabilities in the application.
Implement input validation to sanitize all user-supplied data. This includes whitelisting allowed characters and rejecting or escaping potentially malicious characters.
Apply output encoding (e.g., HTML entity encoding) to all user-supplied data before rendering it in the HTML response. This prevents the browser from interpreting the data as executable code.
Use a Content Security Policy (CSP) to restrict the sources from which the browser can load resources, mitigating the impact of XSS attacks.
Regularly update the Easy Social application to the latest version, which may include patches for this vulnerability.
Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to filter malicious traffic and protect against XSS attacks.
Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing to identify and address vulnerabilities.