CVE-2016-1912 in ERP
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Dolibarr ERP/CRM 3.8.3 allow remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) lastname, (2) firstname, (3) email, (4) job, or (5) signature parameter to htdocs/user/card.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/03/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-1912 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Dolibarr ERP/CRM version 3.8.3 that exposes the system to persistent security risks. This vulnerability specifically affects the user management interface where authenticated users can manipulate input fields through the card.php script, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute arbitrary code within the context of other users' browsers. The flaw exists in the handling of user profile data, particularly in fields that store personal information and professional details, making it a significant concern for organizations relying on this enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management platform.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization within the Dolibarr application's user management module. When authenticated users submit data containing malicious script code through parameters such as lastname, firstname, email, job, or signature fields, the application fails to properly escape or filter these inputs before rendering them in web pages. This insufficient sanitization creates an environment where attacker-controlled content can be executed as legitimate JavaScript code when other users view the affected user profiles. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires authentication to exploit, but once compromised, it can affect all users who interact with the vulnerable profile information.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-1912 extends beyond simple data corruption or display manipulation, as it enables attackers to potentially steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of victims. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which classifies improper neutralization of input during web page generation as a common weakness in web applications. The attack vector is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where user profiles contain sensitive business information and where users may have elevated privileges within the system. The vulnerability can be exploited to create persistent backdoors or to harvest credentials from authenticated sessions, making it a prime target for advanced persistent threat actors who follow the ATT&CK framework's techniques for credential access and privilege escalation.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigation strategies including input validation, output encoding, and regular security updates to prevent exploitation. The recommended approach involves applying the vendor's official patch or upgrade to a version that addresses the XSS flaws, while simultaneously implementing additional security controls such as content security policies and web application firewalls. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify similar issues in other components of their Dolibarr deployments and establish monitoring procedures to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices and proper input sanitization in web applications to prevent unauthorized code execution and maintain the integrity of enterprise systems.