This article is a part of our Vulnerability Database (back to index)
Cross-site Scripting occurrences in Nanohttpd
An issue was discovered in RouterNanoHTTPD.java in NanoHTTPD through 2.3.1. The GeneralHandler class implements a basic GET handler that prints debug information as an HTML page. Any web server that extends this class without implementing its own GET handler is vulnerable to reflected XSS, because the GeneralHandler GET handler prints user input passed through the query string without any sanitization. (2021-02-23, CVE-2020-13697)
Why Cross-site Scripting can be dangerous
Cross site scripting is an attack where a web page executes code that is injected by an adversary. It usually appears, when users input is presented. This attack can be used to impersonate a user, take over control of the session, or even steal API keys.
The attack can be executed e.g. when you application injects the request parameter directly into the HTML code of the page returned to the user:
https://server.com/confirmation?message=Transaction+Complete
what results in:
<span>Confirmation: Transaction Complete</span>
In that case the message can be modified to become a valid Javascript code, e.g.:
https://server.com/confirmation?message=<script>dangerous javascript code here</script>
and it will be executed locally by the user's browser with full access to the user's personal application/browser data:
<span>Confirmation: <script>dangerous javascript code here</script></span>