CVE-2018-15188 in advanced-real-estate-script
Summary
by MITRE
PHP Scripts Mall advanced-real-estate-script 4.0.9 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (page structure loss) via crafted JavaScript code in the Name field of a profile.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/14/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-15188 affects the PHP Scripts Mall advanced-real-estate-script version 4.0.9, representing a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks through manipulation of the Name field in user profiles. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the application's form processing logic, specifically targeting the profile management functionality where users can submit personal information including their name. The vulnerability manifests when malicious JavaScript code is injected into the Name field, which then gets processed and rendered without proper security measures to prevent execution of unintended code.
The technical flaw resides in the application's failure to implement proper content sanitization and output encoding when handling user-submitted data in profile forms. This weakness creates an opportunity for attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code that can disrupt the normal page structure and functionality of the real estate website. The vulnerability operates under CWE-79 which categorizes Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) flaws, specifically focusing on the improper handling of untrusted data in web applications. When the malicious JavaScript executes within the context of the victim's browser, it can manipulate the DOM structure, cause rendering issues, and potentially lead to more severe consequences including session hijacking or data exfiltration.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can compromise the integrity of the website's user interface and potentially expose sensitive user data. Attackers can exploit this weakness to cause page structure loss, which may result in complete service unavailability for legitimate users attempting to access profile information or perform real estate transactions. The vulnerability affects the application's core functionality by undermining the trustworthiness of user-generated content and potentially enabling further exploitation paths that align with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for JavaScript execution. This weakness particularly impacts the web application's availability and reliability, as the denial of service can occur without requiring authentication or specialized privileges.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's data handling processes. Organizations should deploy proper sanitization filters that remove or encode potentially dangerous JavaScript characters and tags from user inputs before processing or storing them. The implementation of Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can provide additional protection against script execution, while regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other input fields. Security patches should be applied immediately to update the affected real estate script version, and developers should follow secure coding practices that align with OWASP Top Ten recommendations for preventing XSS vulnerabilities. Additionally, monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual patterns in user submissions that may indicate attempted exploitation of similar vulnerabilities.