CVE-2018-1000020 in OpenEMR
Summary
by MITRE
OpenEMR version 5.0.0 contains a Cross Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in open-flash-chart.swf and _posteddata.php that can result in . This vulnerability appears to have been fixed in 5.0.0 Patch 2 or higher.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/03/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1000020 represents a critical cross site scripting flaw within the OpenEMR medical records system version 5.0.0. This web-based application serves healthcare organizations globally and handles sensitive patient information, making it a prime target for cyber adversaries seeking to exploit weaknesses in medical data management systems. The vulnerability specifically affects two key components of the application's web interface including the open-flash-chart.swf flash file and the _posteddata.php script. These components are responsible for rendering graphical data visualizations and processing posted form data respectively, creating potential attack vectors where malicious input can be injected into the application's response.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the affected Flash component and PHP script. When user-supplied data is processed through these components without proper sanitization, attackers can inject malicious script code that executes in the context of other users' browsers. This occurs because the application fails to properly escape or encode special characters in user input before rendering it within the web page context. The CWE-79 weakness classification applies here, as the vulnerability represents a failure to properly encode output data, allowing attacker-controlled data to be interpreted as executable script code. The attack typically involves crafting malicious input that gets stored or reflected in the application's response, which then executes in the victim's browser when they view the affected page.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or session hijacking, as it can enable more sophisticated attacks within healthcare environments. An attacker could potentially use this XSS vulnerability to escalate privileges, access sensitive patient records, or even redirect users to malicious sites that could further compromise the healthcare network. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that healthcare organizations often have limited security monitoring and may not immediately detect such attacks. The vulnerability affects the application's ability to maintain data integrity and user privacy, which directly violates healthcare data protection regulations including HIPAA compliance requirements. Organizations using this version of OpenEMR face significant risk of unauthorized data access and potential regulatory penalties for failing to maintain secure medical information systems.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves immediately upgrading to OpenEMR version 5.0.0 Patch 2 or higher, as this patch specifically addresses the XSS vulnerability in the affected components. System administrators should also implement additional defensive measures including web application firewalls, input validation rules, and regular security scanning of the web application. The ATT&CK framework's T1566 technique applies here, as this vulnerability represents a phishing attack vector that could be exploited to gain unauthorized access to sensitive healthcare data. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments of their medical applications and implement proper output encoding mechanisms to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in other parts of their healthcare information systems. Regular patch management processes and security awareness training for healthcare staff can further reduce the risk of exploitation.