CVE-2024-41347 in openflights
Summary
by MITRE • 08/29/2024
openflights commit 5234b5b is vulnerable to Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) via php/settings.php
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/26/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-41347 affects the openflights application at commit 5234b5b and represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw located within the php/settings.php file. This vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and output sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly escape user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages. The flaw exists in the application's configuration and settings management interface where parameters are directly incorporated into HTML output without appropriate security measures.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from the application's failure to sanitize or escape user-controllable inputs that are subsequently displayed in the settings.php page. When an attacker can manipulate parameters passed to this script, they can inject malicious javascript code that executes in the context of other users' browsers. This occurs because the application does not employ proper output encoding or context-appropriate escaping mechanisms before rendering user-provided content within the web interface. The vulnerability specifically impacts the php/settings.php endpoint which likely handles administrative configuration parameters that are processed and displayed to authenticated users.
Operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement as it provides attackers with the capability to execute arbitrary javascript code within user sessions. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive configuration data, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The severity is amplified because settings pages typically contain sensitive administrative information and the vulnerability affects the core configuration management functionality of the application. This creates a potential pathway for attackers to escalate privileges or compromise the entire system through session manipulation or credential theft.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-41347 should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding measures across all user-controllable parameters. The recommended approach involves applying context-appropriate escaping mechanisms such as html_entity_encode for html contexts, javascript_encode for javascript contexts, and proper sanitization of all inputs before processing. Security practitioners should implement Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution capabilities and establish proper input validation routines that reject or sanitize potentially malicious content. Additionally, regular security code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components and ensure all user-supplied data is properly handled through established security frameworks. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting flaws and may map to ATT&CK technique T1566 for initial access through malicious web content.
The fix implementation requires updating the php/settings.php script to properly sanitize all inputs using appropriate escaping functions before rendering them in the output. This includes implementing proper HTML encoding for display contexts and ensuring that any user-provided parameters used in dynamic content generation are filtered for malicious content. The application should also implement proper session management and authentication controls to limit the impact of potential exploitation. Regular security updates and vulnerability scanning should be maintained to prevent similar issues from emerging in other parts of the application. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring systems to detect and prevent exploitation attempts targeting this class of vulnerability.