CVE-2023-5695 in Internet Banking System
Summary
by MITRE • 10/25/2023
A vulnerability was found in CodeAstro Internet Banking System 1.0. It has been declared as problematic. Affected by this vulnerability is an unknown functionality of the file pages_reset_pwd.php. The manipulation of the argument email with the input testing%40example.com'%26%25alert(9860) leads to cross site scripting. The attack can be launched remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. The identifier VDB-243133 was assigned to this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/12/2023
This vulnerability resides within the CodeAstro Internet Banking System version 1.0, specifically targeting the pages_reset_pwd.php file which handles password reset functionality. The flaw represents a classic cross-site scripting vulnerability that arises from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The vulnerability manifests when the system fails to properly sanitize user-supplied email addresses before processing them within the password reset workflow, creating an exploitable entry point for malicious actors.
The technical exploitation occurs through a carefully crafted payload where the email parameter receives input in the form of testing%40example.com'%26%25alert(9860). This payload leverages URL encoding to bypass basic validation checks while simultaneously embedding malicious javascript code that triggers a cross-site scripting attack. The specific manipulation involves the combination of single quotes, ampersands, and percent encoding that allows the attacker to inject javascript code directly into the application's response. This technique exploits the application's failure to properly escape or filter user input before rendering it in the browser context.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or session hijacking, as it represents a significant security weakness that can be exploited remotely without requiring any authentication or privileged access. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary javascript code in the context of authenticated users' browsers, potentially leading to session theft, data exfiltration, or further exploitation of the banking system. The fact that this vulnerability has been publicly disclosed and is actively being used in the wild increases the risk profile significantly, as threat actors can immediately deploy this attack vector against affected systems.
Security professionals should implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate this vulnerability, beginning with immediate input validation and output encoding mechanisms that properly escape all user-supplied data before processing. The application should employ Content Security Policy headers to prevent execution of unauthorized javascript code, while also implementing proper parameter validation that rejects malformed email addresses. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block similar attack patterns, and conduct comprehensive security testing to identify other potential injection points within the application. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege and secure coding practices. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a web application attack vector under the T1212 technique of exploitation for credential access, making it particularly dangerous in banking environments where user credentials are at stake.