CVE-2022-2178 in Starcities
Summary
by MITRE • 03/06/2023
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Saysis Computer Starcities allows Cross-Site Scripting (XSS).
This issue affects Starcities: before 1.1.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/20/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-2178 represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw classified under CWE-79 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation. This weakness occurs within the Saysis Computer Starcities application where user-supplied input containing HTML tags is not properly sanitized before being rendered in web pages. The vulnerability specifically manifests in the basic form of XSS where malicious script code can be injected through HTML tags, making it particularly dangerous for web applications that process user input without adequate validation and sanitization mechanisms.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker can inject malicious HTML content into the application's web interface, typically through input fields, parameters, or other user-controllable data points. When the application fails to neutralize or escape special characters and HTML tags in the user-supplied content, the injected script code gets executed within the context of other users' browsers. This basic form of XSS allows attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious websites. The vulnerability affects all versions of Starcities prior to version 1.1, indicating that the developers had not yet implemented proper input sanitization or output encoding measures to prevent such attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or session manipulation. Attackers can leverage this XSS flaw to perform various malicious activities including but not limited to cookie theft, defacement of web pages, redirection to phishing sites, and even privilege escalation within the application if the affected system handles sensitive user data. The presence of this vulnerability in the web application creates a persistent threat vector that can be exploited by attackers with minimal technical expertise, as the attack surface is relatively broad and the injection points are often predictable. This type of vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 Phishing with Spoofed Delivery, where attackers can use the XSS vulnerability to deliver malicious payloads through compromised web interfaces.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-2178 should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's codebase. The most effective approach involves implementing proper HTML escaping and encoding of all user-supplied content before rendering it in web pages, which directly addresses the root cause of the vulnerability. Additionally, developers should implement Content Security Policy headers to limit the sources from which scripts can be executed, and employ proper input validation to reject or sanitize potentially malicious content. The fix for this vulnerability in Starcities version 1.1 likely involved comprehensive code reviews, implementation of proper input sanitization routines, and deployment of output encoding mechanisms that ensure all user-generated content is properly neutralized before being processed by the web application. Organizations should also conduct regular security testing including automated scanning and manual penetration testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in their web applications and ensure that proper security controls are in place to prevent such issues from occurring in production environments.