CVE-2025-23111 is a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability classified under CWE-79, discovered in Vanderbilt's REDCap version 14.9.6, a widely used web-based application for managing research surveys and databases. The vulnerability stems from improper input sanitization of the Survey field name, which allows an attacker to inject arbitrary HTML code. When a user views the survey containing the malicious field name, clicking on it triggers a redirection to a phishing website controlled by the attacker. This attack vector leverages social engineering to deceive users into visiting malicious sites, potentially leading to credential theft or further compromise. The vulnerability does not require any authentication and can be exploited remotely over the network, but it does require user interaction (clicking the malicious field). The CVSS v3.1 score is 4.7 (medium severity), reflecting the lack of direct confidentiality impact but acknowledging the integrity risk due to redirection and user deception. No patches or official fixes have been released yet, and no known exploits are currently reported in the wild. The issue affects only version 14.9.6 of REDCap, so users of other versions may not be vulnerable. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and output encoding in web applications, especially those handling sensitive research data.

The primary impact of CVE-2025-23111 is on the integrity and trustworthiness of user interactions with REDCap surveys. Attackers can exploit the vulnerability to redirect users to phishing websites, potentially leading to credential theft, malware infection, or further social engineering attacks. While the vulnerability does not directly compromise the confidentiality or availability of REDCap data, the redirection can undermine user confidence and the integrity of survey results. Organizations relying on REDCap for clinical, academic, or research data collection may face reputational damage and increased risk of targeted phishing campaigns. Since REDCap is widely used in healthcare and research sectors globally, the vulnerability could facilitate targeted attacks against these communities, especially if combined with other attack vectors. The requirement for user interaction limits automated exploitation but does not eliminate risk, as phishing remains a common and effective attack method. The lack of a patch increases exposure time, emphasizing the need for proactive mitigation.

To mitigate CVE-2025-23111, organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Immediately review and sanitize all user-supplied input fields, especially the Survey field names, using strict whitelist-based input validation and proper HTML entity encoding to prevent injection of malicious HTML or scripts. 2) Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts and limit redirection capabilities. 3) Educate survey recipients and users about the risk of clicking unexpected or suspicious links within surveys, emphasizing verification of URLs before interaction. 4) Monitor survey content for anomalous or suspicious field names that could indicate attempted exploitation. 5) If possible, temporarily disable or restrict the ability to create or modify survey field names until a vendor patch is available. 6) Coordinate with Vanderbilt for timely updates and patches, and plan for rapid deployment once available. 7) Implement web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block malicious payloads targeting the Survey field name parameter. 8) Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on input validation and XSS vulnerabilities in REDCap deployments. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice by focusing on the specific injection vector and user interaction pattern of this vulnerability.