CVE-2018-17003 in LimeSurvey
Summary
by MITRE
In LimeSurvey 3.14.7, HTML Injection and Stored XSS have been discovered in the appendix via the surveyls_title parameter to /index.php?r=admin/survey/sa/insert.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/17/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-17003 represents a critical security flaw in LimeSurvey version 3.14.7 that allows attackers to execute malicious HTML code through a parameter injection vector. This issue specifically affects the survey title parameter within the admin survey management interface, creating a persistent cross-site scripting vulnerability that can be exploited by unauthorized users to compromise the application. The flaw exists in the path /index.php?r=admin/survey/sa/insert where the surveyls_title parameter fails to properly sanitize user input before processing and storing it within the application's database.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the LimeSurvey application framework. When administrators or users submit survey titles through the affected interface, the application does not adequately filter or escape special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code. This allows attackers to inject malicious payloads that persist in the database and execute whenever the affected survey title is rendered in the user interface. The vulnerability is classified as a stored XSS attack because the malicious code is stored server-side and executed against other users who view the affected content.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-17003 extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal administrative credentials, or redirect users to malicious websites. Given that LimeSurvey is commonly used for collecting sensitive data through online surveys, this vulnerability could compromise the confidentiality and integrity of survey responses and user information. Attackers could exploit this weakness to gain elevated privileges within the LimeSurvey administration interface, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability also poses risks to the broader network infrastructure if administrators are tricked into executing malicious code through compromised survey titles.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should include immediate implementation of proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms across all user input fields within the LimeSurvey application. Organizations should apply the vendor-provided patch or upgrade to a version that addresses this specific XSS vulnerability. The fix should incorporate proper HTML entity encoding for all user-supplied content before storage and rendering, implementing Content Security Policy headers to prevent unauthorized script execution, and conducting thorough input validation to reject potentially malicious payloads. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script injection, emphasizing the need for comprehensive defensive measures including regular security audits and input validation testing to prevent similar issues in web applications.