CVE-2020-35753 in Human Resource Management Portal
Summary
by MITRE • 01/26/2021
The job posting recommendation form in Persis Human Resource Management Portal (Versions 17.2.00 through 17.2.35 and 19.0.00 through 19.0.20), when the "Recommend job posting" function is enabled, allows XSS via the SENDER parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/19/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-35753 affects the Persis Human Resource Management Portal, a widely used enterprise resource planning system that manages various human resources functions including job posting and recommendation processes. This specific flaw exists within the job posting recommendation form functionality, which is designed to allow users to recommend job postings to other personnel within the organization. The vulnerability manifests when the "Recommend job posting" feature is activated, creating a potential attack vector that could compromise the security of the entire HR management system.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through cross-site scripting attacks targeting the SENDER parameter within the job posting recommendation form. When an attacker crafts a malicious payload and submits it through the SENDER field, the application fails to properly sanitize or validate the input before processing or displaying it. This allows the malicious JavaScript code to execute within the context of other users' browsers who view the recommendation form, creating a persistent XSS vulnerability that can be leveraged to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions, or redirect users to malicious websites. The vulnerability specifically falls under CWE-79 which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a weakness where applications fail to properly validate or escape user-controllable data before incorporating it into dynamically generated content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or session hijacking. Attackers could potentially escalate privileges within the HR portal, access sensitive employee information, or manipulate job posting recommendations to spread malicious payloads throughout the organization. Given that HR portals often contain sensitive personal data, financial information, and organizational hierarchy details, this vulnerability creates a significant risk for data breaches and insider threats. The affected versions span multiple release branches, indicating a widespread issue that would require coordinated patching across various organizational deployments.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and output encoding for all user-controllable parameters within the job posting recommendation form. The recommended approach involves sanitizing the SENDER parameter through proper HTML entity encoding and implementing Content Security Policy headers to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security assessments of all user-input fields within the HR management portal to identify similar vulnerabilities that may exist in other components. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which describes social engineering tactics through malicious links or content, and T1059 which covers command and scripting interpreter techniques used to execute malicious code. Regular security testing and code reviews should be implemented to prevent similar injection vulnerabilities in future development cycles, ensuring that all user inputs are properly validated and escaped before processing or display.