CVE-2018-16313 in Bludit
Summary
by MITRE
Bludit 2.3.4 allows XSS via a user name.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/19/2020
Bludit 2.3.4 contains a cross-site scripting vulnerability that arises from insufficient input validation and output encoding of user names within the application's web interface. This vulnerability exists in the authentication and user management components where user-provided names are not properly sanitized before being rendered in web pages. The flaw allows an attacker to inject malicious javascript code through the username field during user registration or profile modification processes. When the compromised username is displayed in the admin interface or public-facing user lists, the injected script executes in the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or further exploitation of the compromised systems. The vulnerability stems from a lack of proper input sanitization mechanisms that should validate and escape special characters in user names according to established security practices. This issue aligns with CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting flaws as weaknesses in input validation and output encoding. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to Bludit installations as it can be exploited by both authenticated and unauthenticated attackers depending on the application's configuration and the visibility of user information. The attack surface expands when considering that many Bludit installations may not implement proper content security policies or additional security headers that could mitigate the impact of such XSS flaws. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects core user management functionality and can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code in victims' browsers, potentially leading to full system compromise if combined with other attack vectors. The exploitation requires minimal privileges and can be automated, making it a high-severity issue that should be addressed immediately through proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations using Bludit 2.3.4 should implement immediate mitigations including input sanitization at all entry points and output encoding for all dynamic content, while also considering the implementation of web application firewalls and content security policies to provide additional layers of protection. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of securing all user-controllable inputs in web applications and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213 which covers data from information repositories, particularly in the context of web application exploitation. The remediation approach should include comprehensive code review of all user input handling mechanisms and implementation of proper security controls such as input validation libraries, output encoding functions, and regular security testing to prevent similar issues in future releases.