CVE-2016-1217 in Garoon
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the "Check available times" function in Cybozu Garoon before 4.2.2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/21/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-1217 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within the Cybozu Garoon collaboration platform, specifically affecting versions prior to 4.2.2. This issue resides in the "Check available times" functionality, which is commonly used for scheduling and meeting room availability checks within enterprise environments. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly handle malicious script content submitted through the time checking interface. Attackers can exploit this weakness by injecting malicious javascript code into the affected parameter, which then gets executed in the context of other users' browsers when they access the vulnerable functionality. The flaw manifests as a classic reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability where user-supplied data flows directly into the web application's output without proper encoding or validation, creating an attack surface that can be leveraged for session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting as a critical security weakness involving the improper handling of untrusted data within web applications. The vulnerability operates under the principle that user input is trusted and directly rendered without sanitization, violating fundamental web security practices. The "Check available times" function likely accepts parameters such as meeting room names, time slots, or user identifiers that are not properly escaped or validated before being displayed to end users. This creates an environment where attackers can craft malicious payloads that, when processed by the vulnerable application, execute arbitrary javascript code in the victim's browser context. The attack typically requires social engineering to convince users to click on malicious links or visit compromised pages that contain the XSS payload, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise settings where users frequently interact with scheduling systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it can enable attackers to escalate privileges within the application environment and potentially access sensitive corporate information. In enterprise collaboration platforms like Cybozu Garoon, where users often have access to confidential business data, meeting schedules, and resource allocations, a successful XSS attack could allow adversaries to monitor user activities, steal session cookies, or redirect users to phishing sites that harvest login credentials. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of the application's user interface, potentially compromising the trust users place in the scheduling system. Organizations may experience unauthorized access to meeting room bookings, personal schedules, and other sensitive data that could be used for competitive intelligence gathering or insider threat activities, making this a significant concern for businesses relying on such collaboration platforms for their daily operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-1217 should prioritize immediate patch deployment to upgrade to Cybozu Garoon version 4.2.2 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the XSS vulnerability. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms across all user-facing interfaces, particularly those handling scheduling and availability data. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against XSS attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts can be loaded and executed. Regular security testing including dynamic application security testing and manual code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect unusual traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing robust application security practices as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks. Organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls to provide an additional layer of protection against XSS and other common web application attacks, while also ensuring that security teams are trained to recognize and respond to such vulnerabilities in collaboration platforms and enterprise applications.