CVE-2018-19993 in Dolibarr
Summary
by MITRE
A reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Dolibarr 8.0.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the transphrase parameter to public/notice.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/23/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-19993 represents a critical reflected cross-site scripting flaw within the Dolibarr 8.0.2 web application framework. This security weakness resides in the public/notice.php script where the transphrase parameter fails to properly sanitize user input before incorporating it into the HTTP response. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of a victim's browser session, potentially leading to unauthorized actions or data exfiltration. The vulnerability classification aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses improper neutralization of input during web page generation, making it a prime target for exploitation in modern web application attacks. This issue directly violates the principle of input validation and output encoding that forms the foundation of secure web development practices.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious URL containing crafted script code within the transphrase parameter of the public/notice.php endpoint. When a victim clicks this malicious link, the web application reflects the attacker-controlled input back to the victim's browser without proper sanitization or encoding. The reflected nature of this attack means that the malicious payload is immediately executed in the victim's browser context, bypassing standard security mechanisms that might otherwise prevent script execution. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be delivered through social engineering techniques such as phishing emails or compromised websites, making it difficult to detect and prevent without proper input validation measures. The attack vector operates entirely through HTTP requests and responses, making it accessible to attackers with minimal technical expertise.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-19993 extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities within the victim's browser session. Attackers could potentially steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, modify page content, or even perform actions on behalf of authenticated users if they can leverage the vulnerability to access protected functionality. The vulnerability's presence in the public/notice.php script suggests that it could affect any user who interacts with notice-related functionality within the Dolibarr application, potentially compromising not only individual user sessions but also organizational data integrity. This flaw particularly threatens organizations using Dolibarr for business process management, as it could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive business information, financial data, or customer records that might be processed through the vulnerable application.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the Dolibarr application. The most effective immediate solution involves sanitizing all user-supplied input, particularly the transphrase parameter, before incorporating it into any web page responses. This approach aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 which describes the use of scripting languages for malicious purposes, and demonstrates the importance of preventing script injection attacks. Organizations should also implement Content Security Policy headers to limit the sources from which scripts can be executed, and consider deploying web application firewalls to detect and block malicious requests. Additionally, the vulnerability highlights the critical need for regular security assessments and patch management processes, as the flaw existed in version 8.0.2 and required subsequent updates to resolve. The remediation process should include thorough code review of all input handling mechanisms within the application to identify and address similar vulnerabilities that might exist in other components.