CVE-2017-11181 in Ultimate Project Manager
Summary
by MITRE
In Rise Ultimate Project Manager v1.8, XSS vulnerabilities were found in the Messaging section. Subject and Message fields are vulnerable.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/12/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-11181 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within the Rise Ultimate Project Manager version 1.8 application, specifically affecting the messaging functionality. This issue resides in the application's web interface where users can send and receive messages through the messaging section. The vulnerability manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user input in the Subject and Message fields, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary script code that executes in the context of other users' browsers.
This particular vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a critical security weakness in web applications. The flaw operates by allowing attackers to submit malicious payloads through the vulnerable input fields, which are then stored and subsequently rendered to other users who view the affected messages. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it leverages the trust relationship between users and the application, enabling the execution of scripts in the victim's browser session. According to the ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 for scripting and T1566.001 for spearphishing with social engineering, as it can be exploited to deliver malicious payloads through crafted messages.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or session hijacking. When exploited, the XSS flaw could enable attackers to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or even modify the application's interface to deceive users into revealing sensitive information. The messaging section represents a critical communication channel within the project management application, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it could compromise the integrity of all communications between team members. Attackers could potentially inject scripts that monitor user interactions, capture keystrokes, or establish persistent backdoors within the application environment.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the application's messaging functionality. The application should sanitize all user-provided content in both Subject and Message fields, employing proper HTML escaping techniques to prevent script execution. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers and using secure coding practices such as parameterized queries for data handling would significantly reduce the attack surface. The application developers should also consider implementing a whitelist-based approach for accepted input formats and regularly conduct security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other parts of the application. From a defensive perspective, network monitoring solutions should be configured to detect anomalous traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while user education regarding suspicious messages should be emphasized to minimize the risk of successful social engineering attacks that leverage this vulnerability.