CVE-2025-69231 in OpenEMR
Summary
by MITRE • 02/25/2026
OpenEMR is a free and open source electronic health records and medical practice management application. Prior to version 8.0.0, a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in the GAD-7 anxiety assessment form allows authenticated users with clinician privileges to inject malicious JavaScript that executes when other users view the form. This enables session hijacking, account takeover, and privilege escalation from clinician to administrator. Version 8.0.0 fixes the issue.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/25/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-69231 affects OpenEMR, a widely used open source electronic health records and medical practice management application that serves healthcare providers globally. This security flaw exists in versions prior to 8.0.0 and represents a critical stored cross-site scripting vulnerability within the GAD-7 anxiety assessment form functionality. The issue arises from insufficient input validation and output sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly neutralize malicious script content entered by authenticated users. The vulnerability specifically targets the GAD-7 assessment form, which is commonly used in clinical settings for mental health evaluations and represents a significant attack surface within healthcare information systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of user-supplied data within the GAD-7 form processing pipeline. When authenticated clinicians enter malicious JavaScript code into the form fields, the application fails to adequately sanitize this input before storing it in the database. Subsequently, when other users access the form for viewing purposes, the stored malicious code executes within their browser context without proper security boundaries. This represents a classic stored XSS vulnerability classified under CWE-79, which occurs when web applications fail to validate or escape user-controllable data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages. The vulnerability's exploitation requires only authenticated access with clinician privileges, making it particularly dangerous in healthcare environments where such credentials are frequently used.
The operational impact of CVE-2025-69231 extends beyond simple script execution, creating significant risks for healthcare organizations and their patients. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform session hijacking by injecting malicious scripts that capture session cookies or other authentication tokens, effectively enabling unauthorized access to user accounts. The privilege escalation capability allows attackers to elevate their access from clinician level to administrator privileges, potentially compromising the entire system. This represents a severe threat to healthcare information security as it can lead to unauthorized access to patient medical records, manipulation of clinical data, and potential disruption of healthcare delivery services. The vulnerability directly violates healthcare security standards and could result in compliance violations under regulations such as HIPAA, as it creates opportunities for unauthorized data access and modification.
Organizations utilizing OpenEMR must immediately implement the remediation provided in version 8.0.0, which includes proper input validation and output sanitization measures for all form fields. The fix addresses the root cause by implementing comprehensive sanitization routines that neutralize potentially dangerous script content before storage and ensure proper escaping when rendering content to user browsers. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts that may have occurred prior to patching, particularly focusing on unusual access patterns or suspicious data modifications within the GAD-7 form functionality. Additional defensive measures include implementing web application firewalls, monitoring for suspicious user activities, and conducting regular security audits of healthcare applications to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other system components. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices in healthcare environments where patient safety and data integrity are paramount considerations. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under technique T1531 for "Modify Existing Service" and T1078 for "Valid Accounts" as it exploits legitimate user privileges to gain elevated access within the healthcare information system.