CVE-2023-5306 in Online Blood Donation Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 11/01/2023
Online Blood Donation Management System v1.0 is vulnerable to multiple Store Cross-Site Scripting vulnerabilities. The 'city' parameter of the users/register.php resource is copied into the users/member.php document as plain text between tags. Any input is echoed unmodified in the users/member.php response.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/01/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-5306 affects the Online Blood Donation Management System version 1.0 and represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw that undermines the security posture of the application. This vulnerability specifically targets the user registration and member profile components of the system, creating a pathway for malicious actors to inject persistent script code into the web application's response. The flaw manifests when the 'city' parameter submitted through the users/register.php endpoint is transferred to the users/member.php document without proper sanitization or encoding, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary scripts in the context of the victim's browser. The vulnerability's severity is amplified by the fact that the application fails to implement any input validation or output encoding mechanisms, leaving the system completely exposed to script injection attacks.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows a standard XSS attack pattern where an attacker crafts malicious input containing script code within the 'city' parameter during user registration. When the system processes this input and displays it in the member profile page, the unfiltered script code executes in the browser context of any user who views the compromised profile. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting conditions, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which focuses on establishing persistence through web shell injection. The vulnerability exists because the application does not implement proper input sanitization or output encoding controls, creating an environment where user-supplied data flows directly into the HTML response without appropriate security measures. The system's failure to validate or escape the 'city' parameter creates a persistent vector for attackers to execute malicious scripts that can steal session cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or perform unauthorized actions on behalf of victims.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it creates a persistent threat vector that can compromise user accounts and sensitive data within the blood donation management system. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to steal session information, potentially gaining unauthorized access to member profiles and administrative functions. The compromised system could facilitate data exfiltration of donor information, medical records, and contact details, which represents a significant privacy and security risk given the sensitive nature of blood donation data. Additionally, the vulnerability enables attackers to perform session hijacking, redirect users to malicious domains, or inject malicious content that could compromise the integrity of the entire blood donation network. The persistent nature of the flaw means that once exploited, the malicious scripts remain active until manually removed from the system, creating ongoing security risks for all users of the platform. This vulnerability also undermines the trustworthiness of the system, as users may be unaware that their personal information has been compromised through script injection attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-5306 must address both immediate remediation and long-term security improvements to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring. The primary solution involves implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application, specifically ensuring that all user-supplied data including the 'city' parameter is sanitized before being processed or displayed. Organizations should implement Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution contexts and prevent unauthorized script injection. The system should employ proper parameter validation to reject malicious input patterns and implement proper output encoding when displaying user data in HTML contexts. Security measures should include input sanitization libraries, regular security code reviews, and automated vulnerability scanning tools. Additionally, implementing proper access controls and session management mechanisms will help limit the potential damage from successful exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script injection attempts, while establishing comprehensive monitoring and incident response procedures to quickly identify and respond to exploitation attempts. Regular security training for developers and implementation of secure coding practices aligned with OWASP Top Ten recommendations will help prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future versions of the application.