CVE-2024-43985 in Bus Ticket Booking with Seat Reservation Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 09/18/2024
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (XSS or 'Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in MagePeople Team Bus Ticket Booking with Seat Reservation allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Bus Ticket Booking with Seat Reservation: from n/a through 5.3.5.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/09/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in the MagePeople Team Bus Ticket Booking with Seat Reservation plugin, specifically classified as CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation. The issue manifests as a stored XSS vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into the web application's response, which are then executed in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability exists within the plugin's handling of user input during web page generation processes, where insufficient sanitization or encoding occurs before rendering content to end users.
The technical flaw stems from the plugin's failure to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages. When users submit information through various input fields within the booking system, particularly those related to passenger details, seat reservations, or booking comments, the application does not adequately neutralize potentially malicious input. This allows an attacker to craft specially formatted input containing javascript code that gets stored in the application's database and subsequently executed whenever other users view the affected pages.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it enables persistent malicious activity within the targeted environment. Attackers can leverage this stored XSS to perform various malicious actions including session hijacking, credential theft, redirection to malicious sites, or data exfiltration from authenticated users. The vulnerability affects all versions from the initial release through version 5.3.5, indicating a long-standing issue that has not been properly addressed. This allows attackers to exploit the vulnerability across a wide range of installations, potentially affecting numerous organizations that rely on this booking system for their transportation services.
The attack surface is particularly concerning given the nature of the plugin's functionality, as it handles sensitive passenger information and booking data. An attacker could inject scripts that steal cookies, modify booking details, or redirect users to phishing sites that appear legitimate within the context of the booking system. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 - Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment, where the stored XSS could be used to deliver malicious payloads through infected booking pages. Organizations using this plugin face potential data breaches, financial losses, and reputational damage if attackers successfully exploit this vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching of the plugin to version 5.3.6 or later, which addresses the XSS vulnerability through proper input sanitization and output encoding. Administrators should implement additional security measures such as content security policies, input validation at multiple layers, and regular security audits of web applications. The principle of least privilege should be enforced when configuring the plugin, limiting the scope of potential damage from successful exploitation. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns in user input and to identify potential XSS attempts through automated scanning tools and log analysis.