CVE-2023-49149 in Currency Converter Calculator Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 12/14/2023
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in CurrencyRate.Today Currency Converter Calculator allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Currency Converter Calculator: from n/a through 1.3.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/14/2023
The CVE-2023-49149 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in the CurrencyRate.Today Currency Converter Calculator application that enables stored XSS attacks. This vulnerability arises from inadequate input validation and sanitization during web page generation processes, creating a persistent security weakness that can be exploited by attackers to inject malicious scripts into the application's output. The flaw specifically affects versions ranging from an unspecified initial version through 1.3.1, indicating a long-standing issue that has remained unaddressed in the software's development lifecycle.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly neutralize user-supplied input before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages. When users interact with the currency converter calculator, they may provide input data that gets stored within the application's database or session storage. Subsequently, when this stored data is retrieved and rendered in web pages, the application does not adequately sanitize or escape the input content, allowing malicious script code to persist and execute in the context of other users' browsers. This stored nature of the vulnerability means that once an attacker successfully injects malicious code, it will be executed every time affected users view the compromised content, making it particularly dangerous for web applications that serve multiple users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and redirection to malicious websites. Attackers can leverage this stored XSS vulnerability to steal cookies, session tokens, or other sensitive information from authenticated users who view the compromised calculator interface. The vulnerability's persistence means that even after the initial injection, the malicious payload continues to execute without requiring repeated exploitation attempts. This characteristic aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, and represents a classic example of how inadequate input validation can lead to severe security consequences in web applications.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's data flow. The development team must ensure that all user-supplied data is properly validated, sanitized, and encoded before being stored or displayed in web pages. This includes implementing Content Security Policy headers, using proper HTML escaping techniques, and employing parameterized queries where database interactions occur. Additionally, the application should implement input length restrictions and character validation to prevent malicious data from being accepted in the first place. Organizations should also consider implementing regular security testing including automated scanning and manual penetration testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in their web applications. The remediation process should follow established security frameworks and best practices as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity guidelines, ensuring that the fix addresses the root cause rather than merely patching symptoms. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining secure coding practices throughout the software development lifecycle and highlights the necessity of regular security assessments to prevent the exploitation of known vulnerabilities in widely used applications.