CVE-2023-3021 in i-librarian-free
Summary
by MITRE • 05/31/2023
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - Stored in GitHub repository mkucej/i-librarian-free prior to 5.10.4.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/26/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-3021 represents a stored cross-site scripting flaw within the mkucej/i-librarian-free GitHub repository, affecting versions prior to 5.10.4. This type of vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities where malicious scripts are stored on the server and executed when users access the affected application. The flaw enables attackers to inject malicious code that persists in the application's database or storage system, making it particularly dangerous as it can affect multiple users over time.
The technical implementation of this stored XSS vulnerability occurs when user input is not properly sanitized or validated before being stored and subsequently rendered in web pages. In the context of the i-librarian-free application, this likely involves form fields, comment sections, or any user-contributed content areas where data is persisted to a database. When other users access pages containing this stored malicious content, their browsers execute the injected scripts, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious websites. The vulnerability's persistence stems from the fact that the malicious payload remains stored in the application's backend systems rather than being temporary or reflected in the HTTP request parameters.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption or user inconvenience. Attackers can leverage stored XSS to gain unauthorized access to user sessions, potentially leading to complete account compromise and unauthorized administrative actions. The vulnerability affects the application's integrity and confidentiality, as malicious actors can execute arbitrary code within the context of victim users' browsers. This creates a significant risk for any application handling sensitive user data or providing privileged access controls, as the stored scripts can be used to steal session cookies, modify application behavior, or redirect users to phishing sites that can harvest credentials and personal information.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-3021 should prioritize immediate patching of the i-librarian-free application to version 5.10.4 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent malicious script injection, following the principle of least privilege in data handling. The application should sanitize all user inputs through proper escaping techniques before storing or rendering content, with particular attention to HTML, JavaScript, and URL encoding. Additionally, implementing content security policies can provide an additional layer of protection by restricting script execution and limiting the sources from which content can be loaded. Security monitoring should include regular vulnerability scanning and penetration testing to identify similar issues in other application components, while developers should adopt secure coding practices and conduct regular security training to prevent future occurrences of such vulnerabilities in the application's codebase.