CVE-2022-1979 in Product Show Room Site
Summary
by MITRE • 06/02/2022
A vulnerability was found in SourceCodester Product Show Room Site 1.0. It has been declared as problematic. This vulnerability affects p=contact. The manipulation of the Message textbox with the input alert(1) leads to cross site scripting. The attack can be initiated remotely but requires authentication. Exploit details have been disclosed to the public.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/04/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-1979 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the SourceCodester Product Show Room Site version 1.0, demonstrating a significant weakness in web application security controls. This vulnerability specifically targets the contact page functionality where user input is improperly sanitized, creating an avenue for malicious code execution. The flaw manifests when an authenticated user interacts with the Message textbox field, which fails to properly validate or escape user-supplied data before processing. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category for Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that has been consistently documented in the CWE database as one of the most prevalent security issues affecting web applications.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an authenticated user context, meaning that an attacker must first establish valid credentials to the application before executing the malicious payload. This authentication requirement slightly limits the attack surface compared to fully public vulnerabilities, but does not eliminate the risk entirely since legitimate users may be compromised through various means such as credential theft, social engineering, or session hijacking. The specific attack vector involves injecting the payload alert(1) into the Message textbox field, which when processed by the vulnerable application, executes the JavaScript code within the context of other users' browsers who view the affected content. This execution model aligns with the ATT&CK framework's T1566 technique for initial access through spearphishing attachments or links, though the specific implementation here occurs through the application's own processing of user input rather than external delivery mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can potentially enable more sophisticated attacks such as session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. When an authenticated user submits the malicious input, the payload executes in the context of their session, allowing an attacker to perform actions with the privileges of that user. This could include accessing sensitive data, modifying content, or even escalating privileges within the application's access control system. The vulnerability's presence in the contact page functionality suggests that it could be leveraged to compromise not only individual user sessions but potentially to gather intelligence from the application's user base or to serve as a stepping stone for further attacks within the application's environment. Organizations utilizing this vulnerable software must consider the broader implications of such a flaw, particularly in environments where the application handles sensitive information or serves as a gateway to other systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-1979 should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's data processing pipeline. The most effective immediate solution involves sanitizing all user-supplied input before it is processed or stored, ensuring that potentially dangerous characters and script tags are properly escaped or removed. This approach aligns with the OWASP Top Ten recommendations for preventing cross-site scripting vulnerabilities and should be implemented at multiple layers of the application architecture. Additionally, implementing proper access controls and session management practices can help reduce the impact of such vulnerabilities, as can regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify similar weaknesses in other application components. The application should also be updated to a patched version if available, as this vulnerability was likely addressed in subsequent releases of the SourceCodester Product Show Room Site software, and organizations should maintain updated security patches across their entire software ecosystem to prevent similar issues from persisting.