CVE-2015-10032 in HealthMateWeb
Summary
by MITRE • 01/09/2023
A vulnerability was found in HealthMateWeb. It has been declared as problematic. Affected by this vulnerability is an unknown functionality of the file createaccount.php. The manipulation of the argument username/password/first_name/last_name/company/phone leads to cross site scripting. The attack can be launched remotely. The name of the patch is 472776c25b1046ecaf962c46fed7c713c72c28e3. It is recommended to apply a patch to fix this issue. The associated identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-217663.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/30/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-10032 represents a critical cross site scripting flaw within the HealthMateWeb application's account creation functionality. This weakness specifically affects the createaccount.php file and exposes sensitive user input parameters including username, password, first_name, last_name, company, and phone fields to malicious script injection attacks. The vulnerability operates at the application layer where user-supplied data is inadequately sanitized before being processed and stored within the system's database. Security researchers have classified this issue as a remote exploitation vector, meaning that attackers can initiate the attack without requiring physical access to the target system or network. The flaw essentially allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary JavaScript code into the web application's response, which then executes in the context of other users' browsers who access the compromised account information.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding practices within the HealthMateWeb application's user registration module. When users submit account creation requests through the createaccount.php interface, the application fails to properly sanitize or escape user-provided data before storing it in the database or rendering it in subsequent web pages. This lack of proper data sanitization creates an environment where attackers can craft malicious payloads that contain script tags or other executable code within the vulnerable input fields. The vulnerability manifests as a classic reflected cross site scripting issue where the malicious code is reflected back to users in the application's response, potentially compromising user sessions or redirecting them to malicious websites. This type of vulnerability directly aligns with CWE-79, which defines cross site scripting as a weakness where applications fail to properly validate or encode user-controllable data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption, as it can lead to complete session hijacking, unauthorized access to user accounts, and potential data exfiltration from the HealthMateWeb system. Attackers leveraging this vulnerability could steal session cookies, impersonate legitimate users, and access sensitive health information stored within the application. The remote exploitation capability significantly amplifies the threat surface, as attackers can target users from anywhere on the internet without requiring local network access. The vulnerability affects the fundamental integrity of the user registration process, potentially allowing attackers to create malicious accounts with elevated privileges or inject persistent malicious scripts that could affect all users of the system. This type of attack vector is particularly concerning in healthcare applications where sensitive personal health information is handled, as it could lead to serious privacy violations and regulatory compliance issues under healthcare data protection standards.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-10032 should prioritize immediate patch application, as recommended by the vendor's patch identifier 472776c25b1046ecaf962c46fed7c713c72c28e3. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation mechanisms that sanitize all user-supplied data before processing, ensuring that no executable code can be injected into the system. The application should employ proper output encoding techniques when displaying user data in web pages, particularly when the data originates from untrusted sources. Implementing content security policies can provide additional protection against script execution, while regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities within the application's codebase. The remediation process should also include thorough code reviews focusing on all input handling functions, particularly those related to user registration and account management features. Security teams should consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious input patterns, while also establishing monitoring procedures to identify potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure coding practices and proper input validation, particularly in applications handling sensitive personal information where the consequences of successful attacks can be severe and far-reaching.