CVE-2024-46335: Critical XSS Flaw Exposes PHPGurukul Complaint Management System 2.0

Overview

CVE-2024-46335 details a Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability discovered in PHPGurukul Complaint Management System version 2.0. This vulnerability resides within the between-date-userreport.php file, specifically through the fromdate and todate parameters. A malicious actor could exploit this flaw to inject arbitrary JavaScript code into the application, potentially leading to data theft, session hijacking, or defacement of the website.

Technical Details

The vulnerability exists because the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input within the fromdate and todate parameters when generating reports. By crafting a malicious URL containing JavaScript code within these parameters, an attacker can inject the code into the page. When a user accesses the page, the injected script will execute in their browser context. For example, a crafted URL might look something like this:

between-date-userreport.php?fromdate=<script>alert('XSS')</script>&todate=<script>alert('XSS')</script>

The lack of input validation and output encoding is the root cause of this vulnerability.

CVSS Analysis

The National Vulnerability Database (NVD) has assigned CVE-2024-46335 a CVSS v3.1 score of 4.6 (Medium). The CVSS vector string is likely something similar to: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N. This score reflects the following characteristics:

• Attack Vector (AV:N): Network – The vulnerability can be exploited over the network.
• Attack Complexity (AC:L): Low – The conditions for exploitation are easily met.
• Privileges Required (PR:N): None – No privileges are required to exploit the vulnerability.
• User Interaction (UI:R): Required – User interaction (e.g., clicking a link) is required for the exploit to succeed.
• Scope (S:U): Unchanged – An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority.
• Confidentiality Impact (C:L): Low – Limited information disclosure.
• Integrity Impact (I:L): Low – Limited modification of data.
• Availability Impact (A:N): None – No impact on system availability.

While the score is Medium, the potential impact can be significant depending on the user’s privileges and the attacker’s objective.

Possible Impact

Successful exploitation of this XSS vulnerability could lead to:

• Session Hijacking: An attacker could steal a user’s session cookie and impersonate them.
• Data Theft: Sensitive information displayed on the page could be exfiltrated.
• Website Defacement: The attacker could modify the content of the page.
• Malware Distribution: The injected script could redirect users to malicious websites or install malware.
• Credential Theft: An attacker could create a fake login form and capture user credentials.

Mitigation and Patch Steps

To mitigate this vulnerability, the following steps should be taken:

1. Input Validation: Implement strict input validation on the fromdate and todate parameters in between-date-userreport.php. Reject any input that contains HTML tags or JavaScript code.
2. Output Encoding: Encode all output displayed in the user report. Use functions like htmlspecialchars() in PHP to prevent the browser from interpreting the output as HTML or JavaScript.
3. Update to the Latest Version: Check for a patch or updated version of PHPGurukul Complaint Management System that addresses this vulnerability. Contact the vendor for information on available updates.
4. Web Application Firewall (WAF): Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to detect and block malicious requests targeting this vulnerability. Configure the WAF with rules to prevent XSS attacks.

References

• CVE-2024-46335 on GitHub
• PHPGurukul Complaint Management System