CVE-2025-14229
📋 TL;DR
This CSV injection vulnerability in SourceCodester Inventory Management System 1.0 allows attackers to inject malicious formulas into exported CSV files. When victims open these files in spreadsheet applications like Excel, the formulas can execute commands or exfiltrate data. Organizations using this specific inventory management system are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- SourceCodester Inventory Management System
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution on victim's machine when they open the malicious CSV file in a spreadsheet application, potentially leading to full system compromise.
Likely Case
Data exfiltration, command execution in spreadsheet context, or manipulation of spreadsheet calculations when users open exported reports.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if users open CSV files in plain text editors or with formula execution disabled in spreadsheet applications.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploit details are publicly disclosed. Attack requires user interaction to open the malicious CSV file.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Unknown
Vendor Advisory: https://www.sourcecodester.com/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
No official patch available. Check vendor website for updates. Consider implementing input validation and output encoding in the SVC Report Export component.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable CSV Export Feature
allTemporarily disable the SVC Report Export functionality in the inventory management system.
Implement CSV Sanitization
allAdd server-side validation to sanitize CSV output by escaping formula characters (=, +, -, @) with a leading apostrophe.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Educate users to open CSV files in plain text editors only, not spreadsheet applications
- Implement network segmentation to restrict access to the inventory management system
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Test by exporting a report with formula injection payload (e.g., =cmd|' /C calc'!A0) and checking if it appears unsanitized in the CSV output.Check Version:
Check the system's about page or configuration files for version information.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify that formula characters are properly escaped in exported CSV files (prefixed with apostrophe).📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual CSV export requests with formula-like payloads in parameters
Network Indicators:
- CSV file downloads containing formula characters at the beginning of cells
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND (uri="/export_csv" OR uri="/svc_report") AND (param CONTAINS "=" OR param CONTAINS "+" OR param CONTAINS "-" OR param CONTAINS "@")