CVE-2013-5319 in JIRA
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in secure/admin/user/views/deleteuserconfirm.jsp in the Admin Panel in Atlassian JIRA before 6.0.5 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the name parameter to secure/admin/user/DeleteUser!default.jspa.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/24/2024
The CVE-2013-5319 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in Atlassian JIRA's administrative interface prior to version 6.0.5. This vulnerability exists within the deleteuserconfirm.jsp component of the admin panel, specifically when processing user deletion requests through the secure/admin/user/DeleteUser!default.jspa endpoint. The flaw allows remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of authenticated users' browsers, potentially leading to unauthorized actions and data compromise. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it resides within the administrative functionality of JIRA, which typically operates with elevated privileges and access to sensitive organizational data.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the JIRA administrative interface. When the name parameter is passed through the DeleteUser!default.jspa endpoint to the deleteuserconfirm.jsp page, the application fails to properly sanitize or encode user-supplied input before rendering it in the web response. This allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code or HTML content that executes in the victim's browser when the confirmation page is displayed. The vulnerability follows the classic pattern of reflected XSS attacks where malicious input is immediately reflected back to the user without proper sanitization, making it particularly straightforward for attackers to exploit.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with the ability to perform unauthorized actions within the JIRA environment. An attacker could potentially steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, modify administrative interface behavior, or even execute commands on behalf of authenticated users. Given that this vulnerability affects the administrative panel, successful exploitation could lead to complete compromise of the JIRA instance, allowing attackers to delete users, modify permissions, access confidential project data, or manipulate the entire issue tracking system. The vulnerability also enables attackers to leverage the elevated privileges of administrative users, amplifying the potential damage significantly.
Organizations utilizing affected versions of Atlassian JIRA should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to version 6.0.5 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this vulnerability. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing content security policies to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts, though this serves as a supplementary defense rather than a complete remediation. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script execution and T1566 for credential access through web-based attacks. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments of their JIRA installations to identify any potential exploitation attempts and ensure proper input validation across all administrative interfaces.
This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and output encoding in web applications, particularly within administrative components that handle sensitive operations. The flaw represents a classic example of how insufficient sanitization of user input can create persistent security risks in enterprise applications, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security testing and regular patch management processes. Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation and implement automated vulnerability scanning to identify similar issues in their web applications, as the administrative interfaces of issue tracking systems often represent high-value targets for attackers seeking persistent access to organizational data and systems.