CVE-2020-10445 in PHPKB Standard Multi-Language
Summary
by MITRE
The way URIs are handled in admin/header.php in Chadha PHPKB Standard Multi-Language 9 allows Reflected XSS (injecting arbitrary web script or HTML) in admin/report-article.php by adding a question mark (?) followed by the payload.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/11/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-10445 resides within the Chadha PHPKB Standard Multi-Language version 9 application, specifically affecting the admin/header.php component. This security flaw represents a classic reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability that occurs when user input is improperly sanitized before being rendered in web responses. The vulnerability manifests in the administrative interface where the application fails to adequately validate or escape URI parameters, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary JavaScript code or HTML content.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of URI parameters in the admin/report-article.php page. Attackers can append a question mark followed by malicious payload data to the URI, which then gets reflected back to the victim's browser without proper sanitization. This reflected behavior allows the injected script to execute within the context of the victim's session, potentially compromising the administrative interface and user credentials. The vulnerability stems from the application's inadequate input validation mechanisms in the header.php file, which processes URI data without implementing proper output encoding or sanitization techniques.
The operational impact of this reflected XSS vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal administrative credentials, manipulate data within the application, and potentially escalate privileges within the system. An attacker with access to the administrative interface could leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized control over the knowledge base management system, potentially leading to data breaches, service disruption, or further exploitation of the underlying infrastructure. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that the attack requires user interaction, typically through phishing emails or social engineering techniques that prompt users to click malicious links containing the payload.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-10445 should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's codebase, particularly in the header.php component where the vulnerability originates. Organizations should employ context-sensitive output encoding techniques that ensure all user-supplied data is properly escaped before being rendered in web responses. This approach aligns with CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting vulnerabilities and the ATT&CK framework's T1059.002 technique for command and scripting interpreter. The most effective remediation involves updating to the latest version of the PHPKB application where this vulnerability has been patched, implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious payloads, and conducting regular security assessments to identify similar input validation flaws throughout the application's codebase.