CVE-2023-6011 is a medium-severity vulnerability classified under CWE-79, which corresponds to Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, commonly known as Cross-site Scripting (XSS). This vulnerability affects DECE Software's Geodi product versions prior to 8.0.0.27396. Specifically, it is a Stored XSS vulnerability, meaning that malicious input submitted by an attacker is stored by the application and later rendered in web pages viewed by other users without proper sanitization or encoding. This flaw allows an attacker with at least low privileges (PR:L) and requiring user interaction (UI:R) to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users’ browsers. The CVSS v3.1 score of 5.4 reflects a medium severity level, with an attack vector of network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), partial privileges required, and a scope change (S:C) indicating that the vulnerability can affect resources beyond the initially compromised component. The impact affects confidentiality and integrity to a limited extent (C:L/I:L), but does not affect availability (A:N). No known exploits are reported in the wild yet, and no patches have been linked in the provided data. The vulnerability arises because the application does not properly neutralize or encode user-supplied input when generating web pages, allowing malicious JavaScript code to be stored and executed in other users’ browsers. This can lead to session hijacking, unauthorized actions on behalf of users, or theft of sensitive information accessible via the browser session.

For European organizations using DECE Software Geodi, this vulnerability poses a risk of client-side attacks that can compromise user sessions and data confidentiality. Since Geodi is a software product likely used for geospatial or data management purposes, exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive spatial or business data through hijacked sessions or stolen credentials. The scope change in the vulnerability indicates that exploitation could affect multiple components or user accounts beyond the initially compromised user, increasing the risk of lateral impact within an organization. Although the vulnerability requires some level of user interaction and privileges, the low attack complexity and network vector mean that attackers could craft phishing or social engineering campaigns to exploit it. This could be particularly impactful for organizations in sectors such as government, utilities, transportation, or urban planning in Europe, where geospatial data is critical. The lack of known exploits in the wild suggests that the threat is currently theoretical but should be addressed proactively to prevent potential targeted attacks. Failure to mitigate this vulnerability could lead to reputational damage, regulatory non-compliance (especially under GDPR if personal data is involved), and operational disruptions due to compromised user accounts.

To mitigate CVE-2023-6011 effectively, European organizations should first verify if they are running affected versions of DECE Software Geodi prior to 8.0.0.27396 and plan immediate upgrades to the fixed version once available. In the absence of an official patch, organizations should implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block typical XSS payloads targeting Geodi interfaces. Input validation and output encoding should be enforced at the application layer, ensuring that all user-supplied data is properly sanitized before storage and rendering. Security teams should conduct thorough code reviews and penetration testing focused on input handling in Geodi. Additionally, user awareness training should be enhanced to reduce the risk of social engineering attacks that could trigger this vulnerability. Monitoring and logging of unusual user input or script execution attempts should be enabled to detect exploitation attempts early. Finally, organizations should isolate Geodi deployments in segmented network zones with strict access controls to limit the potential impact of any successful exploitation.