CVE-2012-4262 in myCare2x
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in myCare2x allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) name_last, (2) name_first, (3) name_middle, or (4) name_maiden parameter to modules/patient/mycare_pid.php; (5) favorites or (6) lang parameter to modules/nursing/mycare_ward_print.php; (7) aktion or (8) callurl parameter to modules/patient/mycare2x_pat_info.php; or (9) ln parameter to modules/drg/mycare2x_proc_search.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/27/2025
The CVE-2012-4262 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in the myCare2x healthcare management system that exposes multiple attack vectors through unvalidated user input parameters. This vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting weaknesses in web applications, making it a fundamental security flaw that allows attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of victim browsers. The vulnerability affects several core modules within the system including patient management, nursing operations, and medical record processing functions, indicating a systemic issue in input validation across the application's user interface components.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of user-supplied parameters in multiple PHP scripts that handle patient and administrative data. Attackers can exploit the vulnerability by injecting malicious scripts through parameters such as name_last, name_first, name_middle, and name_maiden in the patient identification module, or through favorites, lang, aktion, callurl, and ln parameters in various nursing and administrative modules. These parameters are directly incorporated into web responses without proper HTML escaping or input validation, creating persistent XSS opportunities that can be triggered when other users view the affected pages.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive patient data, modify system behavior, or redirect users to malicious sites. The vulnerability affects healthcare data integrity and confidentiality since it could allow unauthorized access to patient records, medical histories, and personal health information. Given that myCare2x systems are typically deployed in healthcare environments with strict regulatory requirements, this vulnerability could potentially violate HIPAA compliance standards and expose organizations to significant legal and financial consequences. The attack surface is particularly concerning because the affected parameters are commonly used in user-facing interfaces where legitimate users might unknowingly trigger malicious code execution.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding across all user-supplied parameters. The recommended approach includes implementing strict whitelisting of acceptable input characters, applying HTML entity encoding to all dynamic content, and utilizing secure coding practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Secure Coding Practices. Organizations should also implement Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution capabilities and establish regular security testing procedures including dynamic application security testing and manual code reviews. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in healthcare applications where the exposure of sensitive data could have severe consequences for patient privacy and organizational security posture. This issue aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers social engineering through malicious content injection, and represents a classic example of how insufficient input validation can create persistent security weaknesses in web applications.