CVE-2016-4317 in Confluence Server
Summary
by MITRE
Atlassian Confluence Server before 5.9.11 has XSS on the viewmyprofile.action page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/28/2020
The vulnerability CVE-2016-4317 represents a cross-site scripting flaw in Atlassian Confluence Server versions prior to 5.9.11, specifically affecting the viewmyprofile.action page. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security flaws. The issue arises from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the Confluence server's profile viewing functionality, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary JavaScript code into the application's response.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an authenticated user navigates to the viewmyprofile.action page and is presented with malicious content that has been injected into the profile data. The flaw exists because Confluence fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before rendering it in the web page context. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that, when executed in a victim's browser, can perform actions such as stealing session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, or executing arbitrary code within the context of the vulnerable application. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Confluence servers often contain sensitive corporate information and are accessed by multiple authenticated users.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-4317 extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it can serve as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks within the corporate network. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can potentially escalate privileges, access other users' profiles, and gain insights into the organization's internal structure and user base. The vulnerability affects the authentication context since it requires an authenticated session to exploit, but once exploited, it can provide attackers with access to sensitive profile information and potentially enable further reconnaissance activities. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for Valid Accounts and T1566.001 for Phishing, as the attack vector often involves social engineering to gain initial access.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include immediate patching of Confluence Server to version 5.9.11 or later, which contains the necessary input validation and output encoding fixes. Organizations should also implement proper input sanitization at multiple layers within their web applications, ensuring that all user-supplied data is properly escaped before being rendered in HTML contexts. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect unusual traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts can be loaded. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date software versions and implementing comprehensive security controls as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST Cybersecurity Framework.