Overview
CVE-2025-11963 describes a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability found in Saysis Computer Systems Trade Ltd. Co.’s StarCities application. This vulnerability allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. It affects StarCities versions prior to 1.1.61. This article provides a detailed analysis of the vulnerability, its potential impact, and steps to mitigate the risk.
Technical Details
The vulnerability stems from the improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation. Specifically, the StarCities application fails to adequately sanitize or encode user-provided data before reflecting it back to the user’s browser. An attacker can craft a malicious URL containing JavaScript code. When a user clicks on this crafted URL, the injected script executes within the user’s browser, potentially leading to data theft, session hijacking, or other malicious activities. The specific vulnerable parameter and injection point are not publicly disclosed but will be revealed via further analysis of the application.
CVSS Analysis
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) assigns CVE-2025-11963 a score of 5.4, indicating a MEDIUM severity. This score reflects the potential for moderate impact and the relative ease of exploitation. The vulnerability is classified as reflected XSS, meaning the malicious script is only executed if a user interacts with a crafted link.
Possible Impact
Successful exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to several serious consequences:
- Data Theft: Attackers can steal sensitive information, such as cookies or session tokens, allowing them to impersonate legitimate users.
- Session Hijacking: By stealing session cookies, attackers can gain unauthorized access to user accounts.
- Malware Distribution: The injected script could redirect users to malicious websites or install malware on their systems.
- Defacement: Attackers could modify the appearance of the web page, potentially displaying misleading or harmful content.
- Phishing: The injected scripts could create fake login forms to steal user credentials.
Mitigation or Patch Steps
The primary mitigation step is to upgrade to StarCities version 1.1.61 or later. This version includes a patch that addresses the vulnerability by properly sanitizing and encoding user input.
If upgrading is not immediately possible, consider the following temporary workarounds:
- Input Validation: Implement strict input validation on the server-side to reject any input containing suspicious characters or code.
- Output Encoding: Encode all user-supplied data before displaying it on the web page. Use appropriate encoding functions for the context (e.g., HTML encoding for HTML output, JavaScript encoding for JavaScript output).
- Web Application Firewall (WAF): Deploy a WAF to detect and block malicious requests targeting the vulnerability.
- Educate Users: Warn users to be cautious about clicking on links from untrusted sources and to be wary of suspicious URLs.
