CVE-2024-34240 - QDOCS Smart School 7.. Admin Functions XSS Vulnerability with Arbitrary Code Execution

QDOCS Smart School, a popular and widely used Education Management System (EMS), is found to contain a high-risk vulnerability identified as Cross Site Scripting (XSS) in its recent 7.. version that could lead to arbitrary code execution in the privileged admin functions. This vulnerability allows an attacker to perform various exploitation tasks such as adding or updating records in the EMS.

CVE Identifier: CVE-2024-34240

- Vulnerability Type: Input Validation/Cross Site Scripting (XSS)

Please refer to these original references to gain a deeper understanding of the vulnerability

- MITRE CVE Details
- National Vulnerability Database (NVD) Details

Vulnerability Description

The web application does not correctly sanitize user input, which results in a stored XSS vulnerability. This vulnerability exists in the administrative functionality that deals with adding and updating records in the EMS. Attackers can insert and execute malicious scripts to execute arbitrary code in the context of other users, potentially making them gain unauthorized access or escalate their privileges.

Below is an example of a vulnerable code snippet from QDOCS Smart School 7..

// File: add_record.php
function addRecord() {
  $recordName = $_POST['recordName'];
  $recordContent = $_POST['recordContent'];

  $query = "INSERT INTO records (name, content) VALUES ('$recordName', '$recordContent')";
  mysql_query($query);
}

In this example, the developer does not sanitize the $recordName and $recordContent before inserting them into the records table. Thus, allowing an attacker to insert malicious JavaScript code as a part of the record, which will then be executed when an admin views the records in the application.

Proof of Concept (PoC)

The following PoC demonstrates how an attacker could exploit the XSS vulnerability to execute arbitrary code:

1. Access the vulnerable page at http://[TARGET]/add_record.php.
2. Input the malicious JavaScript code payload (e.g., <script>alert("XSS Exploit Successful!")</script>) into the record fields such as recordName and recordContent.

Exploit Details

A successful exploit could lead to various consequences, depending on the type of payload an attacker uses. This includes:

Recommendations

To remediate this vulnerability in QDOCS Smart School 7.., the developer should apply proper input sanitization, validation, and encoding to all fields before storing data, rendering output, or executing code. Additionally, implementing a Content Security Policy (CSP) can provide an extra layer of security against malicious payloads execution.

Conclusion

The high-risk vulnerability in QDOCS Smart School 7.. (CVE-2024-34240) requires urgent attention, as it could lead to the complete compromise of privileged admin functions. Users and administrators are advised to apply appropriate security measures and diligently monitor any suspicious activities on their systems.

Timeline

Published on: 05/21/2024 18:15:09 UTC
Last modified on: 08/20/2024 15:35:12 UTC