CVE-2024-38697 in Goftino Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/20/2024
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (XSS or 'Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Ali Rahimi Goftino allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Goftino: from n/a through 1.6.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/17/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical web application security flaw classified as improper neutralization of input during web page generation, commonly known as cross-site scripting or XSS. The specific weakness manifests in the Ali Rahimi Goftino application where user-supplied input is not adequately sanitized or escaped before being rendered in web pages, creating an environment where malicious scripts can be persistently stored and executed. The vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-site Scripting flaws, and more precisely aligns with CWE-80 which deals with improper neutralization of input during web page generation. This particular implementation allows for stored XSS attacks where malicious payloads can be injected and subsequently served to other users without requiring additional user interaction, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker can submit malicious input through application forms, comments, or other user input mechanisms that are then stored within the application's database or storage systems. When other users view pages containing this stored malicious content, the injected scripts execute in their browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The affected version range from n/a through 1.6 indicates that this flaw exists in multiple versions of the application, suggesting it may be a long-standing issue that has not been properly addressed. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1531 which involves the use of malicious scripts to compromise user sessions, and also relates to T1059 which covers command and scripting interpreter usage for malicious purposes.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or session manipulation, as it can enable attackers to completely compromise user accounts and potentially escalate privileges within the application. Stored XSS attacks are particularly dangerous because they can persist for extended periods, allowing attackers to maintain access to affected systems even after initial exploitation. The vulnerability creates a persistent threat vector where malicious actors can monitor user activities, steal sensitive information, and potentially use compromised user sessions to access additional system resources or escalate their privileges within the application's access control framework. This type of vulnerability also impacts the application's integrity and trust model, as users cannot reliably distinguish between legitimate and malicious content within the application interface. Organizations using this application face significant risk of data breaches and potential regulatory compliance violations, particularly in environments where user privacy and data protection are critical concerns.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate implementation of proper input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms throughout the application's codebase, particularly in areas where user-generated content is processed and displayed. The application should implement Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution and prevent unauthorized code injection. Additionally, all user inputs should be validated against whitelists of acceptable characters and patterns, while implementing proper encoding mechanisms such as HTML entity encoding for dynamic content. Regular security code reviews and automated vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify and remediate similar issues throughout the application lifecycle. The remediation efforts should follow established security frameworks such as OWASP Top Ten and NIST guidelines for web application security. Organizations should also implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures to address successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability represents a clear violation of secure coding practices and should be addressed with immediate priority to prevent potential compromise of user data and application integrity.