CVE-2017-17994 in Biometric Shift Employee Management System
Summary
by MITRE
Biometric Shift Employee Management System has XSS via the criteria parameter in an index.php?user=competency_criteria request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/18/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-17994 affects the Biometric Shift Employee Management System, a web-based application designed for workforce management and attendance tracking. This system processes employee data through various web interfaces, including a competency criteria feature that allows administrators to define and manage performance metrics. The vulnerability manifests in the application's handling of user input parameters within the index.php web page, specifically when processing requests with the user parameter set to competency_criteria. This represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw that compromises the application's security posture and potentially exposes sensitive employee data.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding within the web application's processing logic. When a user submits a request containing malicious script code within the criteria parameter, the application fails to properly sanitize or escape this input before rendering it in the web response. This allows an attacker to inject malicious javascript code that executes in the context of other users' browsers who view the affected page. The vulnerability specifically affects the competency criteria functionality, which likely displays user-defined performance metrics or evaluation criteria, making it a particularly concerning vector for attackers seeking to compromise the system's integrity. This flaw aligns with CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting vulnerabilities as weaknesses in web application input validation and output encoding.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, potentially enabling attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive employee information, or manipulate the application's functionality. An attacker could craft malicious payloads that redirect users to phishing sites, steal session cookies, or even execute administrative commands if the application's privilege levels are not properly enforced. The competency criteria feature may contain sensitive performance data, employee evaluations, or other confidential information that could be accessed or modified through this vulnerability. This exposure creates risks for data confidentiality, integrity, and availability, particularly in enterprise environments where employee management systems contain substantial personal and professional data. The vulnerability also represents a potential stepping stone for attackers to escalate privileges or move laterally within the network infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-17994 should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's codebase. The primary fix involves sanitizing all user-supplied input parameters before processing or rendering them in web responses, utilizing proper encoding techniques such as HTML entity encoding for output. Organizations should implement a comprehensive input validation framework that rejects or removes potentially malicious characters and patterns from all web parameters. Additionally, the application should enforce proper content security policies and implement secure coding practices that prevent the execution of unauthorized scripts. Regular security testing including dynamic application security testing and manual code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other parts of the application. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and following secure development lifecycle practices that incorporate security considerations from the initial design phase. Organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls as additional protective layers and establish incident response procedures for addressing similar vulnerabilities that may be discovered in the future. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical need for continuous security assessment and remediation efforts in enterprise web applications.