CVE-2025-23928 in Google Org Chart Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/16/2025
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Aleksandar Arsovski Google Org Chart allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Google Org Chart: from n/a through 1.0.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/10/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw that enables attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The issue specifically impacts the Google Org Chart component developed by Aleksandar Arsovski, where user input is not properly sanitized during the generation of web content. The vulnerability allows for stored cross-site scripting attacks, meaning malicious code can be permanently stored on the server and executed whenever affected pages are loaded. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that enables attackers to execute scripts in the context of other users.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when user-provided data is directly incorporated into dynamically generated web pages without proper input validation and sanitization. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that get stored within the application's data storage and subsequently rendered to other users who access the affected pages. The stored nature of this XSS vulnerability means that the malicious scripts persist and execute automatically whenever users view the compromised content, making it particularly dangerous for organizational charts that display user information and potentially sensitive data. This vulnerability is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where organizational charts often contain confidential personnel information and hierarchical structures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain access to user sessions, steal authentication tokens, or redirect users to malicious websites. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that the attack can affect multiple users over time, making it more persistent and harder to detect compared to reflected XSS attacks. Organizations using this component in their web applications may face significant security risks, particularly in environments where sensitive organizational data is displayed and where users trust the application interface.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The primary defense involves sanitizing all user inputs before they are stored or rendered in web pages, using proper encoding techniques such as HTML entity encoding for data displayed in web contexts. Organizations should also implement Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution and prevent unauthorized code injection. Additionally, regular security updates and patches should be applied to ensure the component remains secure against known vulnerabilities. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing to verify that all user inputs are properly handled and that no XSS vectors remain in the application's codebase. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation and output encoding in preventing cross-site scripting attacks, aligning with security best practices outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity guidelines.