CVE-2024-23882 is a high-severity Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in version 1.0 of the Cups Easy (Purchase & Inventory) software. The vulnerability arises due to improper neutralization of user-supplied input in the taxcodeid parameter of the /cupseasylive/taxcodecreate.php endpoint. Specifically, the application fails to adequately encode or sanitize this parameter before reflecting it in the web page output, allowing an attacker to inject malicious scripts. Exploitation requires the attacker to craft a malicious URL containing the payload in the taxcodeid parameter and trick an authenticated user into visiting it. Upon execution, the injected script can steal the victim’s session cookies, potentially leading to session hijacking and unauthorized access to the application with the victim’s privileges. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.2, reflecting its high impact and ease of exploitation since it requires no privileges but does require user interaction (clicking the malicious link). The scope is considered changed (S:C) because the vulnerability affects resources beyond the vulnerable component, potentially impacting the entire user session. While no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the nature of XSS vulnerabilities and the availability of the affected version make it a significant risk. The vulnerability falls under CWE-79, which is a common and well-understood web application security issue related to improper input validation and output encoding during web page generation.

For European organizations using Cups Easy (Purchase & Inventory) version 1.0, this vulnerability poses a serious risk to the confidentiality and integrity of user sessions. An attacker exploiting this flaw can hijack authenticated user sessions, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive purchase and inventory data. This could lead to data theft, unauthorized transactions, or manipulation of inventory records. The loss of session confidentiality can also facilitate further lateral attacks within the organization’s network. Given that Cups Easy is a purchase and inventory management system, the compromise could disrupt supply chain operations, financial reporting, and compliance with regulatory requirements such as GDPR. The attack requires user interaction but no special privileges, making it feasible for attackers to target employees via phishing or social engineering campaigns. The vulnerability does not impact availability directly but can indirectly cause operational disruptions if exploited at scale or combined with other attacks.

Organizations should immediately assess their use of Cups Easy (Purchase & Inventory) version 1.0 and prioritize upgrading to a patched version once available. In the absence of an official patch, temporary mitigations include implementing web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block malicious payloads targeting the taxcodeid parameter, particularly scripts or suspicious characters. Input validation and output encoding should be enforced at the application level to neutralize potentially harmful inputs. Additionally, organizations should educate users about the risks of clicking untrusted links and implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the impact of session hijacking. Monitoring web server logs for unusual requests to /cupseasylive/taxcodecreate.php and anomalous user activity can help detect exploitation attempts. Finally, session management should be hardened by setting secure cookie attributes (HttpOnly, Secure, SameSite) to limit cookie theft via XSS.