GitHub Security Advisory: GHSA-fhrf-q333-82fm
Package: ci4-cms-erp/ci4ms (COMPOSER)
Severity: CRITICAL (CVSS 9.9)
CWE: CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Vulnerable versions: <= 0.28.6.0
Patched in: 0.31.0.0

Summary: CI4MS: Blogs Categories Full Account Takeover for All-Roles & Privilege-Escalation via Stored DOM XSS

Details:
## Summary
### **Vulnerability: Stored DOM XSS via Blog Category Title (Persistent Payload Injection)**
- Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Unsanitized Blog Category Title in Blog Management

### Description
The application fails to properly sanitize user-controlled input when creating or editing blog categories. An attacker can inject a malicious JavaScript payload into the category title field, which is then stored server-side.

This stored payload is later rendered unsafely across public-facing blog category pages, administrative interfaces, and blog post views without proper output encoding, leading to stored cross-site scripting (XSS).

### Affected Functionality
- Blog category creation functionality
- Blog category editing functionality
- Blog category storage and retrieval logic

### Attack Scenario
- An attacker creates or edits a blog category title to include a malicious XSS payload.
- The application stores this value without sanitization or encoding.
- The payload persists and executes whenever the category title is rendered in affected views.

### Impact
- Persistent Stored XSS
- Execution of arbitrary JavaScript in victims’ browsers
- Privilege escalation when viewed by administrators or privileged users
- Full administrator account takeover
- Full account takeover across all roles
- Full compromise of the entire application

Endpoints:
- `/backend/blogs/categories/`
- `/blog/{id}`

## Steps To Reproduce (POC)
1. Go to the Blog Categories management page
2. Create or edit a category and insert an XSS payload into the category title such as:
`<img src=x onerror=alert(document.domain)>`
3. Save the category
4. View a public blog category page, blog post page, or the administrative interface
5. Notice the XSS payload executing automatically

## Remediation

- **Avoid unsafe DOM manipulation methods:** Do not use `.html()`, `innerHTML`, or similar sink functions in client-side JavaScript or server-side templating (e.g., PHP). Even when user input flowing into these sinks is not immediately apparent, they can introduce Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities that an attacker may exploit.

- **Apply output encoding:** Implement HTML entity encoding on all user-controlled data before rendering it in the browser. This helps neutralize potentially malicious input.

- **Implement input sanitization:** Ensure that all user-supplied input is properly sanitized before processing or output. Currently, no sanitization mechanisms are in place, which should be addressed as a priority.

- **Enforce security headers and cookie attributes:**
  - **Content Security Policy (CSP):** Define and enforce a strict CSP to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts.
  - **HttpOnly flag:** Set the `HttpOnly` attribute on session cookies to prevent client-side script access.
  - **SameSite attribute:** Configure the `SameSite` cookie attribute to mitigate Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) risks.
  - **Secure flag:** Ensure all cookies are transmitted only over