CVE-2020-9336 in eLection
Summary
by MITRE
fauzantrif eLection 2.0 has XSS via the Admin Dashboard -> Settings -> Election -> "message if election is closed" field.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/10/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-9336 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within the fauzantrif eLection 2.0 web application, specifically manifesting in the administrative dashboard interface. This security weakness resides within the election management module where administrators can configure various settings related to election operations. The affected parameter is the "message if election is closed" field, which serves as an input mechanism for administrators to define custom messages that appear when an election concludes. The vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and output encoding practices within the web application's codebase, allowing malicious actors to inject malicious scripts into this administrative input field.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows standard XSS attack patterns where an attacker crafts malicious script code within the designated input field and saves it through the administrative interface. When other users, particularly election administrators or authorized personnel, access the election settings page or view the closed election message, the malicious script executes within their browser context. This execution occurs because the application fails to properly sanitize or encode the user-supplied content before rendering it in the web page output. The vulnerability is classified as a stored XSS attack since the malicious payload is permanently stored within the application's database and persists until manually removed by an administrator.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and redirection to malicious websites. An attacker who gains access to the administrative dashboard could leverage this XSS vulnerability to escalate privileges or compromise the entire election system. The vulnerability affects the integrity and availability of the election management system, potentially undermining the trustworthiness of election results and administrative processes. According to CWE guidelines, this represents a classic CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which is a fundamental web application security weakness that allows attackers to inject client-side scripts.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. The primary defense involves sanitizing all user inputs before storing them in the database and properly encoding output data when rendering web pages. Implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against XSS attacks by restricting script execution within the browser context. Regular security testing including dynamic application security testing and manual code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other input fields. The application should also implement proper access controls and audit logging to detect unauthorized modifications to critical configuration parameters. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, where attackers leverage JavaScript execution capabilities to compromise user sessions and system integrity. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and regular security updates to protect against similar vulnerabilities in third-party web applications.