CVE-2024-5437 in Simple Online Bidding System
Summary
by MITRE • 05/29/2024
A vulnerability was found in SourceCodester Simple Online Bidding System 1.0. It has been classified as problematic. Affected is the function save_category of the file /admin/index.php?page=categories. The manipulation of the argument name leads to cross site scripting. It is possible to launch the attack remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. VDB-266442 is the identifier assigned to this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/27/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-5437 resides within the SourceCodester Simple Online Bidding System version 1.0, representing a critical cross-site scripting flaw that undermines the application's security posture. This vulnerability specifically affects the save_category function located in the administrative interface at /admin/index.php?page=categories, where user input is inadequately sanitized, creating an exploitable pathway for malicious actors to inject harmful scripts into the application's response. The flaw manifests when the name parameter is manipulated, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of other users' browsers, thereby compromising the integrity of the bidding system's user interactions and potentially enabling unauthorized access to sensitive data.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which categorizes cross-site scripting as a code injection flaw where untrusted data is directly incorporated into web pages without proper validation or encoding. This particular implementation allows remote exploitation, meaning attackers do not require physical access to the system or local network privileges to carry out the attack. The vulnerability's public disclosure through VDB-266442 indicates that malicious actors have already developed and deployed exploit code, significantly increasing the risk exposure for any system administrators who have not yet applied mitigations. The attack vector operates through standard web browser interactions, where a victim would need to navigate to a maliciously crafted URL or be tricked into interacting with compromised content within the bidding platform's administrative interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, potentially enabling attackers to perform session hijacking, steal user credentials, manipulate bidding processes, and access administrative functions that could compromise the entire online bidding ecosystem. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can target users from any location, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in a distributed environment where multiple users interact with the bidding system. The administrative context of the affected function suggests that successful exploitation could provide attackers with elevated privileges, potentially allowing them to modify or delete categories, manipulate auction listings, and undermine the trustworthiness of the entire bidding platform. This vulnerability directly maps to attack techniques documented in the ATT&CK framework under T1566 for initial access and T1059 for command and control through script injection.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching of the affected application to address the input sanitization gap in the save_category function, ensuring that all user-supplied data undergoes proper validation and encoding before being processed or stored. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation mechanisms that enforce strict whitelisting of acceptable characters and lengths for category names, while also deploying output encoding to prevent malicious scripts from executing in browser contexts. Additional protective measures include implementing content security policies to restrict script execution, conducting regular security assessments of web applications, and establishing proper access controls within the administrative interface to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in web applications and highlights the necessity of following secure coding practices that prevent common injection flaws, particularly in administrative functions where elevated privileges could amplify the damage caused by such vulnerabilities.