CVE-2017-17993 in Biometric Shift Employee Management System
Summary
by MITRE
Biometric Shift Employee Management System has XSS via the amount parameter in an index.php?user=addition_deduction request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/18/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-17993 affects the Biometric Shift Employee Management System, a web-based application designed for employee time and attendance tracking. This system processes biometric data from fingerprint scanners and other identification devices to manage work hours and payroll calculations. The vulnerability manifests as a cross-site scripting flaw that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into the application's web interface through specifically crafted requests.
The technical flaw exists within the parameter handling mechanism of the application's index.php script, specifically when processing user addition_deduction requests. The amount parameter lacks proper input validation and output sanitization, allowing malicious actors to inject HTML or JavaScript code that executes in the context of other users' browsers. This occurs because the application fails to properly escape or encode user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages, creating a classic XSS vulnerability that falls under CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it enables attackers to perform various malicious activities within the application's context. An attacker could steal session cookies to hijack user accounts, redirect victims to phishing sites, or inject malware delivery mechanisms. Given that this system manages employee shift data and payroll calculations, successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive personnel information, manipulation of work hours, and potential financial fraud. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects the core functionality of employee management rather than just a secondary feature.
Security practitioners should implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate this vulnerability. Input validation should be strengthened to reject or sanitize all non-numeric characters in the amount parameter, while output encoding must be implemented to ensure that any user-supplied data is properly escaped before being rendered in web pages. The application should also implement Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution and prevent unauthorized code injection. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 - Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, and T1566.001 - Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment, as attackers could leverage this weakness to deliver malicious payloads. Additionally, regular security testing including automated scanning and manual penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar input validation weaknesses in other parameters and functions within the application.