CVE-2022-4615 in OpenEMR
Summary
by MITRE • 12/19/2022
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - Reflected in GitHub repository openemr/openemr prior to 7.0.0.2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/21/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-4615 represents a reflected cross-site scripting flaw within the openemr medical records management system prior to version 7.0.0.2. This issue resides in the GitHub repository maintained by the openemr project, which serves as a widely used open-source electronic health records and medical practice management solution. The vulnerability specifically affects the application's handling of user input parameters, creating a pathway for malicious actors to inject and execute arbitrary script code within the context of a victim's browser session. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which is a fundamental weakness in web application security that allows attackers to manipulate input validation mechanisms.
The technical exploitation of this reflected XSS vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts malicious input that gets reflected back to the user through the web application's response without proper sanitization or encoding. In the context of openemr, this typically involves manipulating URL parameters, form fields, or other user-controllable inputs that are then processed and returned to the browser without adequate output encoding. The reflected nature of this vulnerability means that the malicious script code is executed immediately upon the victim clicking a maliciously crafted link or visiting a compromised page, making it particularly dangerous for web applications handling sensitive medical data. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of users, or redirect victims to malicious websites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability within the healthcare sector is particularly severe given that openemr is used by medical practices, hospitals, and healthcare organizations worldwide. A successful exploitation could allow attackers to access patient medical records, manipulate treatment data, or gain unauthorized administrative privileges within the system. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that attackers could potentially craft targeted phishing campaigns that appear legitimate to healthcare staff, making detection more difficult. This risk is compounded by the fact that healthcare organizations often handle highly sensitive personal health information, making the potential data breach impact significantly higher than typical web applications. The vulnerability also presents a risk to the integrity of medical data and could potentially compromise patient safety if attackers manipulate treatment information or medical records.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-4615 should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. Organizations using openemr should immediately upgrade to version 7.0.0.2 or later, which includes patches addressing this vulnerability. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against XSS attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts can be loaded. Input sanitization should be applied to all user-controllable parameters, with proper encoding of special characters before output to web pages. Regular security testing including automated scanning and manual penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities. Organizations should also implement proper access controls and authentication mechanisms to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 - Account Access Removal, as successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive medical records and administrative functions. Additionally, this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following secure coding practices and maintaining up-to-date software versions to protect against known security flaws in widely used open-source applications.