CVE-2023-45201 in Online Examination System
Summary
by MITRE • 11/02/2023
Online Examination System v1.0 is vulnerable to multiple Open Redirect vulnerabilities. The 'q' parameter of the admin.php resource allows an attacker to redirect a victim user to an arbitrary web site using a crafted URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/02/2023
The Online Examination System v1.0 presents a critical security vulnerability through its implementation of open redirect functionality within the admin.php resource. This flaw manifests through the 'q' parameter which fails to properly validate or sanitize user input before processing redirects, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate the application's redirection behavior. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms that allow arbitrary URLs to be passed through the parameter without proper authorization checks or domain verification. This type of vulnerability represents a classic example of insecure redirection practices that can be exploited to deceive users into visiting malicious websites while maintaining the appearance of legitimate system navigation.
The technical exploitation of this open redirect vulnerability follows established patterns documented in CWE-601, which specifically addresses URL redirections to untrusted domains. Attackers can craft malicious URLs containing the vulnerable 'q' parameter with crafted redirect targets that appear to originate from the legitimate examination system. This creates a significant risk for social engineering attacks where users might be redirected to phishing sites, malware distribution platforms, or other malicious resources that could compromise their systems or steal sensitive information. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be leveraged without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by anyone who can access the vulnerable system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple redirection attacks and creates a broader security risk for the examination system's users. When victims are redirected to malicious sites, they may unknowingly provide credentials, download malware, or expose sensitive information that could compromise their accounts or devices. The vulnerability undermines user trust in the system and could potentially lead to data breaches if users are redirected to sites that capture login information or personal details. Additionally, the attack surface is expanded since the vulnerability affects administrative functionality, meaning that even if attackers cannot directly access administrative features, they can still manipulate user navigation to achieve malicious objectives.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper input validation and sanitization for all redirect parameters within the application. The system should enforce strict domain whitelisting for redirect destinations, ensuring that only URLs from approved domains can be used for redirection purposes. This approach aligns with security best practices outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and follows the principle of least privilege for redirect functionality. Additionally, implementing proper URL encoding validation and using absolute path references instead of relative ones can prevent attackers from injecting malicious redirect targets. The system should also log all redirect attempts for monitoring purposes and implement rate limiting to prevent abuse of the redirect functionality. Security headers such as Content Security Policy should be configured to prevent unauthorized redirects and provide additional protection against this class of vulnerability. Organizations should conduct regular security testing to identify similar vulnerabilities and ensure that all redirect mechanisms are properly validated before deployment.
This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and the potential consequences of insecure redirect implementations in web applications. The ease of exploitation combined with the potential for significant user impact makes this a high-priority issue that requires immediate attention. The vulnerability also highlights the need for comprehensive security testing that includes parameter validation and redirect functionality testing to prevent similar issues in other components of the system.