CVE-2025-3824 Overview
CVE-2025-3824 is a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability [CWE-79] in SourceCodester Web-based Pharmacy Product Management System version 1.0. The flaw resides in the add-product.php script, where the txtprice and txtproduct_name parameters accept unsanitized input. An authenticated attacker can inject arbitrary JavaScript that executes in the browser context of any user viewing the product data. The exploit details have been publicly disclosed, increasing the likelihood of opportunistic abuse. The vulnerability requires high privileges and user interaction, limiting its impact scope.
Critical Impact
Attackers can inject persistent JavaScript through the add-product.php endpoint, enabling session token theft, credential harvesting, and unauthorized actions performed under the victim's authenticated session.
Affected Products
- SourceCodester Web-based Pharmacy Product Management System 1.0
- Vendor: senior-walter
- Component: add-product.php
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-04-20 - CVE-2025-3824 published to the National Vulnerability Database
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-3824
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2025-3824 is a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability affecting the product creation workflow of the Web-based Pharmacy Product Management System. When an authenticated user submits a POST request to add-product.php, the application accepts values for the txtprice and txtproduct_name form fields and persists them without HTML encoding or input validation.
When these values are later rendered in product listings or administrative dashboards, the browser interprets injected <script> payloads as executable JavaScript. This allows the attacker to run arbitrary code in the context of any user who loads the affected page.
Because the injected payload is stored server-side, it fires on every subsequent page load, making the impact persistent rather than reflected. The attack scope remains within the application, but session hijacking and administrative action abuse are viable outcomes.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing output encoding and input sanitization on user-supplied values written to the product database. The application trusts the txtprice and txtproduct_name POST parameters and echoes them back into rendered HTML without applying htmlspecialchars(), context-aware escaping, or a Content Security Policy that would blunt inline script execution.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires the attacker to hold authenticated access to the application with permission to create products. The attacker submits a crafted product name or price value containing an HTML or JavaScript payload through the add-product.php form. When a victim (typically an administrator or another operator) views the product list, the stored payload executes in their browser session.
The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network and requires user interaction from the victim. Public exploit details are available in a third-party research repository, so payload construction is straightforward.
See the GitHub XSS Vulnerability Report and VulDB entry #305731 for the disclosed proof of concept.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-3824
Indicators of Compromise
- POST requests to add-product.php containing HTML tags, <script> markers, javascript: URIs, or event handler attributes such as onerror= and onload= in the txtprice or txtproduct_name fields.
- Database rows in the product table where price or product name columns contain angle brackets, encoded script fragments, or long base64 strings.
- Unexpected outbound HTTP requests from administrator browsers to attacker-controlled domains shortly after loading product pages.
Detection Strategies
- Deploy web application firewall rules that inspect POST bodies to add-product.php for XSS payload signatures and block or alert on matches.
- Review server access logs for repeated product creation requests originating from single accounts, which may indicate payload iteration.
- Correlate authentication events with administrative page loads to identify unusual client-side activity following product views.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Monitor HTTP referrer and user-agent anomalies on requests to add-product.php and related administrative endpoints.
- Log and audit all product record changes, retaining the raw submitted values for forensic review.
- Alert on any browser-initiated requests to unfamiliar external domains that originate from application administrators.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-3824
Immediate Actions Required
- Restrict access to add-product.php to trusted administrative accounts only and rotate credentials for any account suspected of misuse.
- Review existing product records for stored payloads and sanitize or remove any entries containing HTML or script content.
- Deploy a Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts and restricts script sources to trusted origins.
Patch Information
No official vendor patch has been published by senior-walter for the Web-based Pharmacy Product Management System 1.0. Organizations should treat the application as unmaintained and evaluate replacement or apply the source-level fixes described below. Consult the VulDB advisory and the SourceCodester Resource Hub for any future updates.
Workarounds
- Modify add-product.php to apply htmlspecialchars($input, ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8') to all user-supplied fields before database insertion or output rendering.
- Enforce server-side input validation that rejects HTML metacharacters in numeric fields such as txtprice and constrains txtproduct_name to an allow-listed character set.
- Place the application behind a web application firewall with XSS filtering enabled until code-level fixes are deployed.
- Configure the HttpOnly and Secure flags on session cookies to limit the impact of successful script execution.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
