CVE-2025-40706
📋 TL;DR
A stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in OpenAtlas v8.9.0 allows remote attackers to inject malicious scripts via the 'name' parameter in POST requests to '/insert/source'. This could enable session hijacking by stealing authenticated users' cookies. All users running the vulnerable version are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- OpenAtlas
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete account takeover through session cookie theft, leading to unauthorized access, data manipulation, or privilege escalation within the OpenAtlas application.
Likely Case
Session hijacking of authenticated users, potentially allowing attackers to perform actions as the victim within the application.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation and output encoding, potentially reduced to minor UI disruption.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires the attacker to trick an authenticated user into visiting a malicious page or submitting crafted data.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Unknown
Vendor Advisory: https://www.incibe.es/en/incibe-cert/notices/aviso/multiple-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerabilities-openatlas-acdh-ch
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Monitor the OpenAtlas GitHub repository for security updates. 2. Apply the official patch when available. 3. Test in a non-production environment first.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation and Output Encoding
allImplement server-side validation and HTML encoding for the 'name' parameter in '/insert/source' endpoint.
Web Application Firewall (WAF) Rules
allDeploy WAF rules to block XSS payloads targeting the vulnerable parameter.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict access to the OpenAtlas application to trusted networks only.
- Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to mitigate script execution.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Test by submitting a script payload (e.g., <script>alert('XSS')</script>) to the 'name' parameter in a POST request to '/insert/source' and check if it executes.Check Version:
Check the OpenAtlas version in the application interface or configuration files.Verify Fix Applied:
After applying fixes, repeat the test to ensure script payloads are properly sanitized or blocked.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to '/insert/source' with script-like content in parameters.
- Multiple failed login attempts following suspicious requests.
Network Indicators:
- HTTP traffic containing script tags or JavaScript in POST parameters to the vulnerable endpoint.
SIEM Query:
source="web_server" AND url="/insert/source" AND (param="name" AND value MATCHES "<script.*>.*</script>" OR "javascript:")