CVE-2017-6217 in adaptivepayments-sdk-php
Summary
by MITRE
paypal/adaptivepayments-sdk-php v3.9.2 is vulnerable to a reflected XSS in the SetPaymentOptions.php resulting code execution
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/24/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-6217 affects the paypal adaptivepayments-sdk-php version 3.9.2 and represents a critical reflected cross-site scripting flaw within the SetPaymentOptions.php component. This vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before incorporating it into web responses. The flaw allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users, creating a persistent vector for exploitation. The reflected nature of this XSS vulnerability means that malicious payloads are reflected back to users through web server responses, typically via URL parameters or form inputs that are not adequately sanitized.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the SetPaymentOptions.php script processes user input without proper sanitization or encoding, allowing attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code that executes in the context of the victim's browser. This typically happens when parameters passed to the payment options functionality are directly echoed back to the user without appropriate HTML entity encoding or other sanitization measures. The vulnerability exists in the server-side processing logic where input validation is either absent or insufficient to prevent malicious content from being incorporated into the response. This flaw aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities due to improper input handling and output encoding.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution to potentially enable full session hijacking, data theft, and unauthorized transaction processing within the affected PayPal payment environment. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or inject additional malicious code that could compromise the entire payment processing workflow. The reflected nature means that exploitation requires user interaction with a maliciously crafted URL containing the XSS payload, making it particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or when users are tricked into clicking malicious links. The vulnerability affects the core payment processing functionality and could potentially allow attackers to manipulate payment options, redirect funds, or gain unauthorized access to sensitive payment information.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the payment processing pipeline. Organizations should immediately implement proper HTML entity encoding for all user-supplied data before rendering it in web responses, ensuring that special characters are properly escaped to prevent script execution. The fix should include validating all input parameters against a strict whitelist of allowed characters and values, implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution, and ensuring that all user-facing interfaces properly sanitize data. Additionally, organizations should conduct regular security testing and code reviews to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of their payment processing systems, following the principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and ATT&CK framework for web application security. The remediation process must also include updating to patched versions of the PayPal SDK and implementing proper error handling that does not expose internal system information to end users.