CVE-2020-10449 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-search.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-2020-10449 resides within the Chadha PHPKB Standard Multi-Language version 9 application, specifically in the admin/header.php file where URI handling mechanisms fail to properly sanitize input parameters. This flaw creates a reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability that can be exploited by attackers who manipulate URL parameters to inject malicious scripts into the application's administrative interface. The vulnerability manifests when a question mark character followed by malicious payload is appended to URLs that are processed by the report-search.php component, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of authenticated administrator sessions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding practices within the PHPKB application's administrative components. When the application processes URI parameters in the header.php file, it fails to properly escape or filter user-supplied input before rendering it in the web page output. This creates a classic reflected XSS scenario where malicious payloads are injected into the application's response and subsequently executed by the victim's browser when they navigate to the affected page. The vulnerability specifically affects the admin/report-search.php endpoint which processes search queries and displays results, making it a critical vector for attacker exploitation.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-10449 is significant as it provides attackers with a means to compromise administrative accounts within the PHPKB application. Successful exploitation could enable attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or unauthorized modifications to the knowledge base content. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that attackers can craft malicious URLs that, when clicked by an administrator, would execute the payload without requiring persistent modifications to the application's codebase. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be delivered through phishing emails or malicious links without requiring any client-side exploitation techniques.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's administrative interface. The primary defense involves sanitizing all user-supplied input parameters before they are processed or displayed in web responses, utilizing proper HTML escaping techniques and context-appropriate encoding methods. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can provide an additional layer of protection against reflected XSS attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts can be executed. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious URI patterns, while regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar input handling vulnerabilities within the application's codebase. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a technique that would fall under ATT&CK tactic TA0001 (Initial Access) and technique T1190 (Exploit Public-Facing Application) in the MITRE ATT&CK framework.