CVE-2017-17981 in Muslim Matrimonial Script
Summary
by MITRE
PHP Scripts Mall Muslim Matrimonial Script has XSS via the admin/slider_edit.php edit_id parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/14/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-17981 affects the PHP Scripts Mall Muslim Matrimonial Script application, specifically targeting the admin/slider_edit.php component. This issue represents a classic cross-site scripting vulnerability that allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary JavaScript code into the application's administrative interface. The vulnerability manifests through the edit_id parameter, which is improperly sanitized when processing user input from the administrative panel. The flaw enables attackers to manipulate the slider editing functionality and execute malicious scripts within the context of an authenticated administrator's browser session. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which is a fundamental weakness in web application security that occurs when applications fail to properly validate or escape user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides attackers with a potential pathway to gain administrative control over the matrimonial script application. When an administrator visits a maliciously crafted URL containing the XSS payload, the injected JavaScript code executes within their browser session, potentially allowing the attacker to steal session cookies, modify application settings, or even upload malicious files through the administrative interface. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal privileges since it targets the administrative panel where legitimate administrators already possess elevated access rights. This makes the attack surface particularly dangerous as successful exploitation can lead to complete compromise of the application's backend functionality and potentially the underlying server infrastructure. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1531 - Account Access Removal and T1059 - Command and Scripting Interpreter, as attackers can leverage the XSS to establish persistent access and execute malicious commands through the compromised administrative session.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-17981 should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's codebase. The primary fix involves sanitizing the edit_id parameter in the admin/slider_edit.php file by implementing strict input validation that rejects any non-numeric or malformed input before processing. Additionally, the application should employ proper HTML escaping techniques when rendering user-supplied data within web pages to prevent JavaScript execution. Organizations should also implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the sources from which scripts can be loaded, providing an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar input validation weaknesses across the application's entire codebase. The implementation of web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems can also help detect and block malicious payloads attempting to exploit this vulnerability. Patch management procedures should be established to ensure timely updates of the matrimonial script to versions that address this specific XSS vulnerability, as the vendor should have released a security patch to resolve the improper parameter handling in the slider editing functionality.