CVE-2024-41348 in openflights
Summary
by MITRE • 08/29/2024
openflights commit 5234b5b is vulnerable to Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) via php/alsearch.php
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/26/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-41348 affects the openflights application at commit 5234b5b and represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw located within the php/alsearch.php file. This vulnerability allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive information or session hijacking. The issue stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization mechanisms within the application's search functionality, creating an attack surface where user-supplied data is directly reflected in the application's response without proper encoding or filtering.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts malicious input containing script tags or other executable code within the search parameters of the alsearch.php endpoint. When the application processes this input and displays it back to users without appropriate sanitization, the embedded scripts execute in the context of the victim's browser. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications. The flaw demonstrates a classic case of inadequate data validation where the application fails to properly escape or encode user input before rendering it in HTML contexts, allowing malicious code to persist and execute within the victim's browser environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to steal user sessions, modify page content, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. In the context of openflights, which likely serves aviation data and flight information, this vulnerability could allow attackers to manipulate search results, inject malicious advertisements, or potentially access sensitive flight data that could be used for reconnaissance purposes. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires minimal user interaction beyond navigating to the vulnerable page, making it a high-risk vulnerability for any application serving public-facing search functionality.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's codebase. The specific fix involves ensuring that all user-supplied input passed to the alsearch.php endpoint is properly sanitized and encoded before being rendered in HTML contexts. This can be achieved through the implementation of proper HTML escaping functions, input validation libraries, and content security policies that prevent script execution. Organizations should also consider implementing automated security scanning tools that can detect similar patterns in code repositories and enforce secure coding practices. The remediation aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers social engineering through malicious content delivery, and specifically addresses the execution of malicious scripts through web-based attack vectors that leverage XSS vulnerabilities in web applications.