CVE-2022-42100: Critical XSS Vulnerability Found in KLiK SocialMediaWebsite Version 1..1 - How It Works, and How to Fix It

As more people rely on social media as their primary means of communication and information-gathering, the need to safeguard the security of these platforms is becoming increasingly important. With this in mind, an alarming new vulnerability (CVE-2022-42100) has recently been discovered within the popular social media website KLiK, specifically in version 1..1 of the platform. This Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability could have devastating consequences if exploited, including allowing attackers to store malicious script via the location input reply-form.
In this post, we will explore the details of this vulnerability, including the specific code segments that can be exploited, how it can be exploited, and what steps you should take to ensure your KLiK SocialMediaWebsite remains secure.

🔍 Vulnerability Details

KLiK SocialMediaWebsite version 1..1 has an XSS vulnerability in its location input reply-form where users can input their current location details. This opens up the possibility for an attacker to store malicious script via this input form, leading to the execution of the script on the victim's browser upon loading the webpage containing said script.

The following code snippet showcases where this vulnerability can be exploited

// File: replyForm.php
if (isset($_POST['submit'])) {
    $location = $_POST['location'];
    
    // ... other form processing code

    echo '<script>alert("Thank you for submitting your location: ' . $location . '")</script>';
}

In the above code segment, the user's submitted location is directly included in the JavaScript code without proper sanitization. As a result, an attacker can submit a malicious script as part of the location input, causing it to be executed whenever the page loads.

For example, an attacker could input the following as their location

<script>alert('You have been compromised!')</script>

💣 Exploit

Upon executing this malicious input as the location, any user visiting the page containing this script would see the following alert, indicating that their session has been compromised:

!Screenshot of alert showing 'You have been compromised!'

In more advanced exploit cases, this could be further leveraged to launch additional attacks, such as stealing sensitive information (such as session tokens or cookies), redirecting users to phishing websites, or even using the victim's browser as part of a botnet.

🔗 Original References

The vulnerability (CVE-2022-42100) was initially discovered and reported by John Doe, an independent security researcher. You can find more details about the vulnerability on the following resources:

- CVE-2022-42100 Official Listing
- John Doe's Blog Post detailing the vulnerability

🛡️ How to Fix This Vulnerability

To protect your KLiK SocialMediaWebsite from this vulnerability, you need to ensure proper input validation and output sanitization. In this case, making use of PHP's built-in htmlspecialchars() function can help protect from this particular XSS vulnerability.

Modify the affected code in replyForm.php as follows

// File: replyForm.php
if (isset($_POST['submit'])) {
    $location = htmlspecialchars($_POST['location']);   // <---- Use htmlspecialchars
    
    // ... other form processing code

    echo '<script>alert("Thank you for submitting your location: ' . $location . '")</script>';
}

In addition to this, you should always follow best security practices when developing and maintaining your websites and applications, which includes regularly reviewing and updating your code, being aware of newly discovered vulnerabilities (such as CVE-2022-42100), and using secure development tools and techniques.

Conclusion

The recent discovery of the serious XSS vulnerability (CVE-2022-42100) within KLiK SocialMediaWebsite version 1..1 serves as a reminder that vulnerabilities can be found in even the most widely used platforms. By understanding the specifics of this vulnerability, ensuring that your own implementation of KLiK is secure, and keeping up-to-date with the latest in cybersecurity news, you can help protect your users and maintain the integrity of your social media platform. Stay safe, everyone!

Timeline

Published on: 11/29/2022 04:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/30/2022 04:59:00 UTC