CVE-2017-9838 in ERP CRM
Summary
by MITRE
Dolibarr ERP/CRM is affected by multiple reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in versions before 5.0.4: index.php (leftmenu parameter), core/ajax/box.php (PATH_INFO), product/stats/card.php (type parameter), holiday/list.php (month_create, month_start, and month_end parameters), and don/card.php (societe, lastname, firstname, address, zipcode, town, and email parameters).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/23/2020
The vulnerability CVE-2017-9838 represents a critical security flaw in Dolibarr ERP/CRM software affecting versions prior to 5.0.4. This issue manifests as multiple reflected cross-site scripting vulnerabilities that allow attackers to inject malicious scripts into web applications through various input parameters. The vulnerability impacts several core modules including the main index.php interface, AJAX endpoints, product statistics, holiday management, and document creation functionalities. These reflected XSS flaws occur when user-supplied data is not properly sanitized before being returned to web browsers, creating opportunities for attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of authenticated users' sessions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding practices within the Dolibarr application framework. Attackers can exploit these weaknesses by crafting malicious URLs or form submissions that contain script payloads, which are then reflected back to users through the vulnerable parameters. The specific attack vectors include the leftmenu parameter in index.php, PATH_INFO in core/ajax/box.php, type parameter in product/stats/card.php, and multiple month parameters in holiday/list.php. Additionally, the don/card.php endpoint suffers from XSS exposure through societe, lastname, firstname, address, zipcode, town, and email parameters, indicating a widespread pattern of insufficient data sanitization across the application's input handling mechanisms.
The operational impact of these vulnerabilities extends beyond simple script execution, as they can enable sophisticated attack scenarios including session hijacking, credential theft, and privilege escalation. An attacker who successfully exploits these reflected XSS vulnerabilities gains the ability to execute malicious code in the browser context of authenticated users, potentially allowing them to access sensitive business data, modify records, or perform actions on behalf of legitimate users. The vulnerability affects the entire user base of affected Dolibarr installations, particularly those using the vulnerable versions where session management and authentication mechanisms could be compromised. These flaws are particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where ERP/CRM systems handle sensitive financial, customer, and operational data.
Security mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-9838 should prioritize immediate patching to version 5.0.4 or later, which addresses all identified XSS vulnerabilities through proper input sanitization and output encoding implementations. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation mechanisms that sanitize all user-supplied data before processing, ensuring that potentially malicious content is removed or encoded appropriately. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against XSS attacks by restricting script execution from untrusted sources. Regular security assessments and code reviews should focus on identifying similar input handling vulnerabilities throughout the application stack, particularly examining parameters that are directly reflected in web responses. Network-based security controls such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth measures, though they should not replace proper application-level security fixes. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 (Cross-site Scripting) and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript) demonstrating the need for comprehensive web application security practices across enterprise systems.