CVE-2017-6482 in OpenEMR
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) issues were discovered in OpenEMR v5_0_0. The vulnerabilities exist due to insufficient filtration of user-supplied data passed to the "openemr-master/gacl/admin/object_search.php" URL (section_value; src_form). 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 • 08/18/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-6482 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the OpenEMR v5_0_0 medical records system. This vulnerability resides in the administrative object_search.php component of the application's access control system, specifically affecting the section_value and src_form parameters. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly filter user-supplied data before processing and rendering within the web interface. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting as a common web application security weakness where untrusted data is directly embedded into web pages without proper validation or encoding.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts malicious input containing HTML or JavaScript code and submits it through the vulnerable parameters in the object_search.php URL. When the application processes this input without adequate sanitization, the malicious code becomes part of the web response and executes within the browser context of authenticated users who access the affected page. This creates a persistent threat vector that can be leveraged by attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive patient data, or redirect users to malicious sites. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in healthcare environments where OpenEMR systems handle highly sensitive personal health information and where administrative access provides broad system privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to escalate privileges within the medical records system. An attacker who successfully exploits this XSS vulnerability could potentially access patient records, modify medical data, or manipulate access controls for other administrative users. The attack surface is further expanded by the fact that this vulnerability affects the administrative interface, meaning that successful exploitation could allow unauthorized individuals to gain elevated privileges within the healthcare information system. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059 which covers command and scripting interpreter usage, and T1531 which addresses credential access through application access. The vulnerability also represents a significant concern for healthcare organizations under HIPAA compliance requirements, as unauthorized access to patient data could result in substantial regulatory penalties and reputational damage.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-6482 should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. Organizations should immediately apply the vendor-provided patches or upgrade to a patched version of OpenEMR to address this vulnerability. Additionally, implementing a web application firewall with XSS detection capabilities can provide an additional layer of protection. The security team should also conduct a thorough review of all input parameters within the application to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities. Regular security testing including automated scanning and manual penetration testing should be performed to ensure that similar issues do not exist in other parts of the system. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers and proper input sanitization frameworks can further reduce the risk of exploitation. Organizations should also establish proper access control measures and monitor administrative activities for signs of unauthorized access attempts, as the vulnerability specifically targets the administrative interface where sensitive operations occur.