CVE-2025-51534
📋 TL;DR
This stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Austrian Archaeological Institute OpenAtlas allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into the Name field, which are then executed when other users view the affected content. The vulnerability affects OpenAtlas v8.11.0 installations, potentially compromising user sessions and enabling further attacks.
💻 Affected Systems
- Austrian Archaeological Institute OpenAtlas
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could steal administrator credentials, take over administrative accounts, deface the application, or pivot to internal network attacks by executing arbitrary JavaScript in users' browsers.
Likely Case
Attackers steal user session cookies to impersonate legitimate users, perform unauthorized actions, or redirect users to malicious sites.
If Mitigated
With proper input validation and output encoding, malicious scripts are neutralized before execution, preventing exploitation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires the ability to create or modify entries with a Name field, which typically requires some level of access to the application.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Not available
Vendor Advisory: Not available
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Monitor the Austrian Archaeological Institute website for security updates. 2. Apply any available patches immediately. 3. Consider upgrading to a newer version if available.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation and Sanitization
allImplement server-side validation to reject or sanitize HTML/JavaScript in the Name field.
Content Security Policy (CSP)
allImplement a strict CSP header to prevent inline script execution and restrict script sources.
Add to web server configuration: Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with XSS protection rules
- Disable or restrict user input in the Name field through configuration changes
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Test by entering a simple XSS payload like <script>alert('XSS')</script> in the Name field and checking if it executes when viewed.Check Version:
Check the OpenAtlas version in the application interface or configuration files.Verify Fix Applied:
After implementing fixes, test with the same XSS payload to ensure it's properly sanitized or blocked.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual or suspicious entries in Name fields containing script tags or JavaScript code
- Multiple failed login attempts following suspicious Name field entries
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections to suspicious domains from the application server
- Unusual HTTP requests containing script payloads
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND (message LIKE "%<script>%" OR message LIKE "%javascript:%")