CVE-2018-5078 in Online Ticket Booking
Summary
by MITRE
Online Ticket Booking has XSS via the admin/eventlist.php cast parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/19/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-5078 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within the Online Ticket Booking system that specifically affects the admin/eventlist.php page. This issue arises from improper input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to adequately sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it within the web application's response. The cast parameter in the eventlist.php script serves as the attack vector where malicious input can be injected and subsequently executed in the context of other users' browsers. This particular vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a critical security weakness in web applications. The flaw demonstrates a classic improper neutralization of input during web output, where the application directly incorporates user-controllable data into dynamically generated web pages without appropriate sanitization or encoding measures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it enables attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the browser context of authenticated users. When an administrator or authorized user accesses the eventlist.php page with maliciously crafted input in the cast parameter, the injected script executes in their browser session, potentially allowing attackers to steal session cookies, perform actions on behalf of the user, or redirect them to malicious websites. This vulnerability particularly affects the administrative functionality of the ticket booking system, as it targets the privileged user interface where sensitive operations are performed. The attack requires minimal privileges and can be executed through simple URL manipulation, making it highly exploitable in environments where administrators frequently interact with the web application.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, specifically under the T1059.007 technique for Scripting and T1531 for Account Access Removal, as it enables attackers to establish persistent access through session hijacking and privilege escalation. The vulnerability's exploitation aligns with the principle of least privilege violation, as it allows unauthenticated attackers to compromise authenticated sessions through manipulation of the cast parameter. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation mechanisms that enforce strict type checking and sanitize all user inputs before processing. The recommended mitigations include implementing proper output encoding for all dynamic content, utilizing Content Security Policy headers to restrict script execution, and applying the principle of least privilege by restricting access to administrative functions. Additionally, regular security code reviews and automated vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar input validation flaws across the entire application stack, particularly in areas handling user-supplied parameters that are directly incorporated into web page generation.