CVE-2022-30003 in Online Market Place Site
Summary
by MITRE • 09/26/2022
Sourcecodester Online Market Place Site 1.0 is vulnerable to Cross Site Scripting (XSS), allowing attackers to register as a Seller then create new products containing XSS payloads in the 'Product Title' and 'Short Description' fields.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/21/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-30003 affects the Sourcecodester Online Market Place Site version 1.0 and represents a critical cross site scripting flaw that undermines the application's security posture. This vulnerability resides within the product creation functionality where unvalidated user input is directly reflected back to users without proper sanitization or encoding mechanisms. The attack vector specifically targets the 'Product Title' and 'Short Description' fields, which are commonly used by sellers to describe their offerings within the marketplace platform.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding practices within the web application's backend processing logic. When sellers register and create products, the application fails to properly sanitize the data entered into these fields before storing and subsequently displaying the information to other users. This creates an environment where malicious actors can inject malicious javascript code or other harmful payloads that execute in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability manifests as reflected XSS since the malicious scripts are immediately reflected back to users through the application's response without proper HTML encoding or sanitization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data integrity concerns and represents a significant threat to user security and platform integrity. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can potentially steal session cookies, perform actions on behalf of other users, redirect victims to malicious websites, or even execute more sophisticated attacks such as credential theft or privilege escalation. The marketplace environment creates additional risk as sellers may have access to sensitive user information and transaction data, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in a commercial context. This flaw also violates fundamental security principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross site scripting vulnerabilities.
The attack scenario begins with an attacker registering as a legitimate seller within the marketplace platform, a process that typically requires minimal authentication or verification. Once registered, the attacker can leverage the product creation interface to inject malicious payloads into the specified fields. When other users browse the product listings or view product details, their browsers execute the injected scripts, providing the attacker with a means to compromise their sessions or execute unauthorized actions. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1531 which involves using the compromised system to gain access to other systems or users. The impact is particularly severe given that marketplace platforms often contain sensitive transactional data, user personal information, and business-critical functionality that could be exploited through this XSS vector.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's data flow. The most effective remediation involves sanitizing all user-provided input before storage and properly encoding all output before rendering to users. This includes implementing Content Security Policy headers, using secure coding practices for HTML encoding, and establishing strict input validation rules that reject potentially harmful characters or script patterns. Organizations should also consider implementing proper access controls and monitoring for suspicious registration patterns or unusual product creation activities. The fix should align with security standards such as ISO 27001 and NIST SP 800-53 which emphasize the importance of input validation and output encoding in preventing injection vulnerabilities. Regular security testing including dynamic application security testing and manual penetration testing should be conducted to ensure the effectiveness of implemented controls and prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future versions of the platform.