CVE-2019-25316: GOautodial 4.0 XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2019-25316 Overview

GOautodial 4.0 contains a persistent cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability that allows authenticated attackers to inject malicious scripts through the event title parameter. Attackers can exploit the CreateEvent.php endpoint by sending crafted POST requests with XSS payloads to execute arbitrary JavaScript in victim browsers. This stored XSS vulnerability persists in the application database, affecting any user who views the malicious event entry.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers can inject persistent JavaScript payloads that execute in the browsers of other GOautodial users, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or further attacks against the call center infrastructure.

Affected Products

• GOautodial 4.0
• GOautodial installations with the CreateEvent.php endpoint enabled

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-11 - CVE CVE-2019-25316 published to NVD
• 2026-02-11 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2019-25316

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation), commonly known as Cross-Site Scripting. The flaw exists in the event management functionality of GOautodial 4.0, specifically within the CreateEvent.php endpoint. When users create calendar events, the application fails to properly sanitize the event title parameter before storing it in the database and subsequently rendering it back to users.

The persistent nature of this XSS vulnerability makes it particularly dangerous in a call center environment where multiple operators and administrators may access shared calendar and event management features. Once a malicious payload is stored, it will execute every time any authenticated user views the affected event, multiplying the attack surface significantly.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is insufficient input validation and output encoding in the GOautodial event creation workflow. The CreateEvent.php endpoint accepts user-supplied input for the event title field without properly sanitizing special characters or HTML/JavaScript content. Additionally, when events are displayed to users, the application renders the stored content without proper output encoding, allowing embedded scripts to execute in the victim's browser context.

Attack Vector

The attack requires an authenticated user account to exploit this vulnerability via the network. An attacker with valid credentials can submit a crafted POST request to the CreateEvent.php endpoint containing JavaScript code within the event title parameter. Once stored, the malicious script executes whenever another user views the event, enabling the attacker to steal session cookies, perform actions on behalf of the victim, redirect users to malicious sites, or capture sensitive information displayed within the GOautodial interface.

The exploitation of this vulnerability follows a straightforward attack pattern against the event creation endpoint. An attacker crafts a POST request containing JavaScript in the event title field, such as a script tag with an alert function or more sophisticated payloads for cookie exfiltration. The vulnerable endpoint stores this payload without sanitization, and subsequent page renders include the malicious script in an unencoded format, causing browser execution. Technical details and proof-of-concept information can be found in the Exploit-DB #47402 reference and the VulnCheck Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2019-25316

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP POST requests to CreateEvent.php containing script tags, event handlers (onload, onerror, onclick), or javascript: URIs in parameter values
• Database entries in event tables containing HTML tags or JavaScript code
• Unusual outbound connections from user browsers to external domains after accessing the GOautodial calendar interface
• Web server logs showing encoded or obfuscated JavaScript payloads in POST data

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block XSS patterns in POST requests targeting the CreateEvent.php endpoint
• Deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to prevent inline script execution and detect policy violations
• Monitor HTTP traffic for common XSS payload signatures such as <script>, javascript:, and HTML event attributes
• Review database content for stored XSS indicators in event-related tables

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for all POST requests to event management endpoints
• Configure alerts for CSP violation reports that may indicate XSS exploitation attempts
• Monitor user session behavior for anomalies that could indicate session hijacking following XSS attacks
• Implement regular database audits to identify potentially malicious content stored in user-generated fields

How to Mitigate CVE-2019-25316

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the GOautodial event management functionality to only essential users until patching is complete
• Implement server-side input validation to reject event titles containing HTML tags or JavaScript
• Apply output encoding to all user-generated content displayed in the GOautodial interface
• Deploy Content Security Policy headers with strict inline script restrictions

Patch Information

Organizations using GOautodial 4.0 should check the GoAutoDial Official Website for available security updates addressing this vulnerability. Review the VulnCheck Advisory for detailed remediation guidance.

Workarounds

• Implement a Web Application Firewall with XSS detection rules to filter malicious payloads before they reach the application
• Add server-side input sanitization that strips or encodes HTML special characters from event title inputs
• Deploy Content Security Policy headers with script-src 'self' to prevent inline script execution
• Consider disabling or restricting access to the event creation feature until an official patch is available

# Example Apache .htaccess CSP header configuration
Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline'; img-src 'self' data:; frame-ancestors 'self';"