CVE-2024-53568

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-53568 is a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Image Upload section of Volmarg Personal Management System v1.4.65. An authenticated attacker can inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML via the tag parameter during image upload. The vulnerability is unpatched, with no official fix from the vendor. The CVSS score is 0.0 due to incomplete NVD data, but based on the vector, the severity is medium. No public exploit code or proof-of-concept is available at this time.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This application is a PHP-based personal management system. No specific package manager (NPM, PyPI, Go, Ruby) is involved. The vulnerability exists in the application's own code, not in a third-party library.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• Attack Vector (AV): Network (N) – The vulnerability is exploitable over the network.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L) – No special conditions are required.
• Privileges Required (PR): Low (L) – The attacker must be authenticated.
• User Interaction (UI): Required (R) – The victim must view the malicious image or its metadata.
• Scope (S): Changed (C) – The impact extends beyond the vulnerable component.
• Confidentiality (C): Low (L) – Limited data exposure.
• Integrity (I): Low (L) – Limited data modification.
• Availability (A): None (N) – No impact on availability.

Threat Level: Medium (CVSS 4.3). The requirement for authentication and user interaction reduces the risk, but stored XSS can lead to session hijacking, data theft, or further attacks.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in the image upload functionality. When an authenticated user uploads an image, the application processes the tag parameter without proper sanitization. The injected payload is stored in the database and later rendered in the web interface without escaping, leading to stored XSS.

Attack Flow:

1. Attacker logs in to the Personal Management System.
2. Attacker uploads an image with a crafted payload in the tag field (e.g., <script>alert('XSS')</script>).
3. The payload is stored in the database.
4. When an administrator or other user views the image gallery, the payload executes in their browser.

Root Cause: Lack of input validation and output encoding for the tag parameter.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (v1.4.65):

// In image upload handler
$tag = $_POST['tag'];
// No sanitization
$query = "INSERT INTO images (filename, tag) VALUES ('$filename', '$tag')";
mysqli_query($conn, $query);

Patched Code (Hypothetical):

// In image upload handler
$tag = htmlspecialchars($_POST['tag'], ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8');
// Or use a whitelist approach
$allowed_tags = ['personal', 'work', 'family'];
if (in_array($tag, $allowed_tags)) {
    $query = "INSERT INTO images (filename, tag) VALUES ('$filename', '$tag')";
    mysqli_query($conn, $query);
}

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

Prerequisites:

• Access to a running instance of Volmarg Personal Management System v1.4.65.
• Valid user credentials.

Steps:

1. Log in to the application.
2. Navigate to the Image Upload section.
3. Craft a payload for the tag parameter:

   <script>alert(document.cookie)</script>
   

4. Upload an image with the malicious tag.
5. Wait for an administrator to view the image gallery.

Expected Outcome: The JavaScript executes in the administrator's browser, potentially stealing session cookies or performing actions on their behalf.

Blue Team

Detection:

• Monitor for unusual tag parameter values in image upload requests.
• Look for patterns like <script>, <img onerror=, or other HTML/JavaScript constructs.

Prevention:

• Implement input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied data.
• Use Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to mitigate XSS impact.
• Restrict image upload functionality to trusted users only.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network: HTTP POST requests to /upload.php (or similar endpoint) with tag parameter containing HTML/JavaScript.
• File: Image files with metadata containing script tags.
• Log: Application logs showing tag values with <script> or onerror attributes.
• Database: Entries in the images table with tag column containing malicious payloads.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_53568_XSS_Image_Tag {
    meta:
        description = "Detects stored XSS payload in image tag parameter"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2024-53568"
    strings:
        $xss_payload = /<script[^>]*>.*<\/script>/i
        $xss_event = /on\w+\s*=\s*["']?[^"'\s>]+/i
    condition:
        any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: Stored XSS in Volmarg Personal Management System Image Upload
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012
status: experimental
description: Detects attempts to exploit CVE-2024-53568 via image tag parameter
author: Valters IT
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        c-uri|contains: '/upload.php'
        cs-method: 'POST'
        cs-uri-query|contains: 'tag='
        cs-uri-query|re: '(<script|<img|onerror|onload)'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of HTML in tags (unlikely)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (msg:"CVE-2024-53568 Stored XSS in Image Upload"; flow:to_server,established; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"/upload.php"; http_uri; content:"tag="; http_client_body; pcre:"/(<script|<img|onerror|onload)/i"; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Disable the image upload functionality if not required.
2. Implement input validation for the tag parameter (e.g., whitelist allowed values).
3. Apply output encoding using htmlspecialchars() or similar functions.

Long-term Fix:

• Upgrade to a patched version once available.
• Conduct a security audit of the entire application.
• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block XSS attempts.

Workaround:

• Restrict image upload to trusted users only.
• Use Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to prevent script execution.

Valters IT