CVE-2023-24232 in Inventory Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 02/10/2023
A stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the component /php-inventory-management-system/product.php of Inventory Management System v1 allows attackers to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML via a crafted payload injected into the Product Name parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/09/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-24232 represents a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw within the php-inventory-management-system application version 1. This security weakness resides in the product.php component and specifically affects how the application processes user input through the Product Name parameter. The flaw enables attackers to inject malicious scripts that persist within the application's database and subsequently execute whenever the affected page is accessed by other users. Such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they can remain undetected for extended periods while continuously affecting unsuspecting users who interact with the compromised system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the application's backend processing. When users submit product information through the Product Name field, the application fails to properly sanitize or escape special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code. This inadequate sanitization allows attackers to craft malicious payloads that include script tags or other executable code sequences. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that once the malicious input is successfully injected and saved to the database, it becomes part of the application's permanent data store and executes automatically whenever the relevant page content is rendered to users.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-24232 extends beyond simple script execution, potentially enabling attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities. Compromised users may experience session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious websites. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges, access sensitive inventory data, or even propagate further attacks within the network. The persistence of stored XSS makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous for business applications where multiple users regularly access the system, as each user who views the affected product information becomes a potential victim of the stored script execution.
Security professionals should address this vulnerability through multiple defensive layers that align with established frameworks such as CWE-79, which specifically categorizes cross-site scripting flaws, and ATT&CK technique T1059.1001 for command and scripting interpreter. Mitigation strategies should include implementing comprehensive input validation that rejects or sanitizes potentially dangerous characters and sequences, applying proper output encoding before rendering user-supplied content, and employing content security policies to prevent unauthorized script execution. Additionally, regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities throughout the application's codebase, while network monitoring solutions can help detect anomalous traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The implementation of web application firewalls and regular patch management procedures will further strengthen the overall security posture against such persistent threats.