CVE-2017-18090 in FishEye
Summary
by MITRE
Various resources in Atlassian Fisheye before version 4.5.1 (the fixed version for 4.5.x) and before version 4.6.0 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript via a cross site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the name of a commit author.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/06/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-18090 represents a critical cross site scripting flaw in Atlassian Fisheye software versions prior to 4.5.1 and 4.6.0. This vulnerability specifically affects the commit author name field within the software's user interface, creating a pathway for remote attackers to execute malicious code through crafted input. The issue stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages. Attackers can exploit this weakness by submitting malicious payloads in commit author names, which then get executed when other users view the affected pages, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or further system compromise.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which describes improper neutralization of input during web page generation in web applications. This particular flaw falls under the category of reflected XSS attacks where malicious scripts are injected into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability exists because the application does not adequately escape special characters in commit author names before displaying them in HTML contexts. This allows attackers to inject HTML tags and JavaScript code that executes in the browser context of legitimate users who view the affected commit information. The impact is particularly severe in collaborative environments where multiple developers interact with the same code repository and view commit history.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations using Atlassian Fisheye for source code management and collaboration. The attack surface is broad as any user who can create or modify commit author information can potentially exploit this flaw. When exploited, the vulnerability can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive repository data, modification of commit history, and potential privilege escalation within the application. The attack requires minimal technical expertise and can be executed remotely, making it particularly dangerous in environments where repository access is widely distributed. Organizations may experience data breaches, code tampering, or complete loss of trust in their source code management systems, with potential downstream impacts on software development processes and security posture.
Organizations should immediately implement several mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability. The primary and most effective mitigation is upgrading to Atlassian Fisheye version 4.5.1 or 4.6.0, which contains the necessary patches to properly sanitize user input. Additionally, implementing proper input validation at multiple layers including client-side and server-side filtering can provide additional defense in depth. Network segmentation and access controls should be reviewed to limit exposure, while web application firewalls can provide additional monitoring and blocking capabilities. Security awareness training for developers should emphasize the importance of input validation and output encoding to prevent similar issues in custom applications. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other components of the software development lifecycle infrastructure. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to OWASP Top Ten security guidelines for web application development.