CVE-2023-2973 in Students Online Internship Timesheet Syste
Summary
by MITRE • 05/30/2023
A vulnerability, which was classified as problematic, has been found in SourceCodester Students Online Internship Timesheet Syste 1.0. Affected by this issue is some unknown functionality of the file /ajax.php?action=save_company. The manipulation of the argument name with the input alert(document.cookie) leads to cross site scripting. The attack may be launched remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. The identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-230204.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/24/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-2973 represents a critical cross site scripting flaw within the SourceCodester Students Online Internship Timesheet System version 1.0. This security weakness resides in the /ajax.php?action=save_company endpoint, where inadequate input validation allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary JavaScript code through the name parameter. The vulnerability classification as problematic indicates a significant risk to system integrity and user data confidentiality, particularly given that the exploit has been publicly disclosed and is actively available for use. The attack vector is remotely exploitable, meaning that threat actors can potentially compromise systems without requiring physical access or local network presence. This remote exploit capability significantly amplifies the potential impact, as it allows attackers to target users from any location with internet connectivity, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where multiple users may interact with the system.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input within the application's backend processing logic. When the name parameter is submitted to the save_company endpoint, the system fails to properly validate or escape the input before processing, allowing the malicious payload alert(document.cookie) to be executed within the victim's browser context. This particular payload demonstrates the classic nature of XSS attacks, where an attacker can extract sensitive information from the user's browser session, potentially including authentication tokens, session cookies, and other confidential data. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross site scripting flaws in software applications, and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices that should prevent untrusted data from being directly executed as code. The attack requires minimal technical expertise to execute, as evidenced by the public disclosure of the exploit, making it accessible to a wide range of threat actors including those with limited advanced skills.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it can enable more sophisticated attack chains within the target environment. Successful exploitation allows attackers to establish persistent access to user sessions, potentially enabling session hijacking, credential theft, and privilege escalation attacks. The extracted cookies may contain session identifiers that could be used to impersonate legitimate users and gain unauthorized access to sensitive internship records, company information, and personal data of students and supervisors. Organizations utilizing this system face potential regulatory compliance violations, particularly under data protection frameworks such as gdpr and ccpa, where unauthorized access to personal information can result in significant financial penalties and reputational damage. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for attackers to deploy additional malicious payloads, such as keyloggers or browser-based malware, that can persistently monitor user activities and exfiltrate additional data over time. The remote nature of the exploit means that attackers can target users across different geographic locations and network environments, making defensive measures more challenging to implement effectively.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-2973 must address both immediate remediation and long-term security improvements within the affected system. The primary recommendation involves implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's codebase, particularly in the ajax.php file and related endpoints. All user-supplied data should undergo strict sanitization before being processed or displayed, with special characters and JavaScript code sequences properly escaped or removed. Organizations should deploy web application firewalls and content security policies to detect and block malicious input patterns, while also implementing proper session management controls to limit the impact of any successful attacks. The system should be updated to the latest available version, as the vulnerability affects version 1.0 and likely subsequent releases of the software. Security teams should conduct comprehensive code reviews and penetration testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components, as the presence of one XSS flaw often indicates broader security weaknesses. Additionally, user education and awareness programs should be implemented to help users recognize potential phishing attempts and suspicious activities that might exploit this vulnerability, while regular security monitoring should be established to detect and respond to any exploitation attempts in real-time.