CVE-2022-47073 in Small CRM
Summary
by MITRE • 01/26/2023
A cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Create Ticket page of Small CRM v3.0 allows attackers to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML via a crafted payload injected into the Subject parameter.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/02/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-47073 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Small CRM v3.0 application's ticket creation functionality. This weakness resides specifically in the Subject parameter handling mechanism of the Create Ticket page, where inadequate input validation and output encoding practices create an exploitable condition that enables malicious actors to inject arbitrary scripts into the application's web interface. The vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly sanitize user-supplied input before rendering it within the HTML context of the web page, thereby creating a persistent vector for script execution.
From a technical perspective, this XSS vulnerability operates through the injection of malicious payloads into the Subject field during ticket creation, which then gets rendered without proper sanitization or encoding. The flaw constitutes a classic reflected XSS attack vector where the injected scripts execute in the context of other users' browsers who view the affected ticket entries. This type of vulnerability is classified under CWE-79 as "Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')", which is a fundamental web application security weakness that has been consistently ranked among the top ten OWASP Top Ten risks for over a decade. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that it occurs in a core application function that likely handles sensitive customer data and business communications.
The operational implications of this vulnerability extend beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the capability to manipulate user sessions, steal sensitive information, and potentially escalate privileges within the CRM environment. An attacker could craft malicious Subject values that, when viewed by other users, would execute scripts to capture cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or even modify the application's interface to display false information. This presents a significant risk to customer data integrity and application security, particularly given that CRM systems typically contain sensitive business and personal information. The vulnerability's exploitation aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript' and T1531 for 'Account Access Removal', potentially enabling more sophisticated attacks when combined with other exploitation techniques.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-47073 must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging. The primary fix involves implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms specifically for the Subject parameter and all other user-input fields within the application. This includes employing context-specific encoding techniques such as HTML entity encoding for web page content, JavaScript encoding for script contexts, and URL encoding for URL parameters. Organizations should also implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the sources from which scripts can be executed, providing an additional layer of defense. The application should also utilize parameterized queries and input sanitization libraries to prevent malicious payloads from being processed. Regular security testing including dynamic application security testing (DAST) and manual penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components. Additionally, implementing proper security training for developers and establishing secure coding practices aligned with OWASP Secure Coding Practices will help prevent such issues from recurring in future development cycles. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of input validation and output encoding in web application security, particularly within business-critical systems like CRM platforms that handle sensitive data and user interactions.