CVE-2023-47014 in Sticky Notes App
Summary
by MITRE • 11/22/2023
A Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Sourcecodester Sticky Notes App Using PHP with Source Code v.1.0 allows a local attacker to obtain sensitive information via a crafted payload to add-note.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/20/2026
The CVE-2023-47014 vulnerability represents a critical Cross-Site Request Forgery flaw within the Sourcecodester Sticky Notes App version 1.0, which is built using PHP. This vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lacks proper anti-CSRF token implementation in the application's web interface. The affected endpoint add-note.php serves as the primary attack vector where malicious actors can exploit the weakness to manipulate application behavior without user consent. The vulnerability specifically targets the application's note creation functionality, allowing unauthorized modifications to the system's data state through forged requests originating from malicious websites or applications.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental flaw in the application's session management and request validation mechanisms. The sticky notes application fails to implement proper CSRF protection measures such as anti-CSRF tokens, origin validation, or referer header checks. Attackers can craft malicious web pages that automatically submit requests to the add-note.php endpoint, potentially allowing them to add unauthorized notes or manipulate existing data within the application's database. This weakness enables attackers to perform actions on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent, effectively bypassing the application's access control mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, as it provides attackers with the capability to escalate privileges and access sensitive information within the application's context. Local attackers can leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to user data, potentially including personal notes, user credentials, or other sensitive information stored within the application's database. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal technical expertise, making it particularly dangerous as it can be weaponized by attackers with basic web development knowledge. The affected application's lack of proper input sanitization and output encoding further compounds the risk, potentially enabling additional attack vectors such as stored cross-site scripting or data injection.
Security professionals should address this vulnerability through immediate implementation of anti-CSRF token mechanisms within the application's web framework. The recommended mitigation strategy involves generating unique, unpredictable tokens for each user session and validating these tokens against every state-changing request to the add-note.php endpoint. Additionally, implementing proper HTTP headers such as Content Security Policy and SameSite cookie attributes can provide additional layers of protection against CSRF attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing proper input validation, output encoding, and comprehensive logging mechanisms to detect and respond to potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses, and follows patterns commonly seen in ATT&CK technique T1566.001 related to spearphishing attachments and T1071.004 for application layer protocols. The vulnerability underscores the importance of implementing robust web application security controls and adhering to secure coding practices as outlined in OWASP Top Ten and NIST Cybersecurity Framework guidelines.