CVE-2017-6394 in OpenEMR
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in OpenEMR 5.0.1-dev. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient filtration of user-supplied data passed to the "openemr-master/gacl/admin/object_search.php" URL. An attacker could execute arbitrary HTML and script code in a browser in the context of the vulnerable website.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/03/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-6394 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the OpenEMR medical records system version 5.0.1-dev. This issue stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before processing within the application's object search functionality. The specific pathway for exploitation occurs through the "openemr-master/gacl/admin/object_search.php" endpoint, which serves as an administrative interface for managing access control lists and object permissions within the system. The insufficient filtration allows malicious actors to inject malicious content directly into the application's response, creating a persistent vector for unauthorized code execution.
This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically representing a stored XSS variant where malicious scripts can be executed in the context of the victim's browser session. The attack vector leverages the application's failure to implement proper output encoding and input sanitization measures when handling parameters passed to the administrative search functionality. When legitimate users access the vulnerable page, their browsers execute the injected scripts within the context of the OpenEMR application, potentially compromising user sessions and enabling further exploitation. The flaw demonstrates a fundamental weakness in the application's security architecture where user input is not adequately validated or escaped before being rendered in web responses.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the capability to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive medical data, and potentially escalate privileges within the medical records system. Given that OpenEMR is widely used in healthcare environments, the implications are particularly severe as attackers could access confidential patient information, manipulate medical records, or disrupt critical healthcare operations. The vulnerability's presence in the administrative access control module creates additional risk since successful exploitation could allow unauthorized individuals to modify system permissions and gain elevated access rights. This threat is compounded by the fact that healthcare organizations often contain sensitive data that is subject to regulatory compliance requirements under HIPAA and similar privacy frameworks.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent user-supplied data from being executed as code within the application context. The recommended approach involves implementing proper parameter sanitization, using context-appropriate output encoding for all dynamic content, and establishing comprehensive input validation rules that reject or escape potentially malicious payloads. Security patches should be applied immediately to update the OpenEMR application to versions that address this vulnerability, while network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth measures. The remediation process should also include thorough security testing of input handling mechanisms and implementation of automated scanning tools to identify similar vulnerabilities within the application's codebase. Organizations must also consider the ATT&CK framework's T1059.007 technique for command and script injection when evaluating their defensive strategies, as this vulnerability enables similar attack patterns through browser-based code execution.