CVE-2024-11742 in Best House Rental Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 11/26/2024
A vulnerability, which was classified as problematic, has been found in SourceCodester Best House Rental Management System 1.0. This issue affects some unknown processing of the file /rental/ajax.php?action=save_tenant. The manipulation of the argument lastname/firstname/middlename leads to cross site scripting. The attack may be initiated remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. Other parameters might be affected as well.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/23/2025
This vulnerability resides within the SourceCodester Best House Rental Management System version 1.0, specifically targeting the /rental/ajax.php endpoint with the save_tenant action parameter. The flaw represents a classic cross-site scripting vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability manifests when processing user-supplied data through the lastname, firstname, and middlename parameters, which are not properly sanitized or validated before being rendered back to users. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 - Cross-site Scripting and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1190 - Exploit Public-Facing Application, as it affects a web application interface that is accessible to external users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a failure in input validation and output encoding practices within the application's data handling pipeline. When users submit tenant information through the rental management system, the system accepts the provided names without adequate sanitization of special characters or script tags. The attack vector is remote, meaning that an adversary can exploit this vulnerability without requiring physical access to the system or direct network connection to the target server. This remote exploit capability significantly increases the attack surface and potential impact of the vulnerability. The disclosure of the exploit to the public community means that malicious actors can readily leverage this weakness to compromise user sessions or redirect them to malicious sites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption or display issues. An attacker could potentially execute malicious scripts that steal session cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or even perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability affects the core tenant management functionality of the rental system, potentially compromising the privacy and security of all users who interact with the application. The fact that multiple parameters (lastname, firstname, middlename) are affected increases the likelihood of successful exploitation and provides multiple attack vectors for threat actors. Organizations using this system face risks including data theft, session hijacking, and potential lateral movement within their network infrastructure, particularly if the application shares credentials or access with other systems.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's data processing pipeline. The most effective immediate fix involves sanitizing all user inputs containing the affected parameters before they are processed or stored in the database. This includes implementing proper HTML entity encoding when displaying user-supplied data back to web clients. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution and prevent unauthorized code injection. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other parts of the application. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and input validation rules at the network level can provide additional protection against exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to OWASP Top Ten security guidelines for web application development.