CVE-2017-2173 in Empirical Project Monitor
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting vulnerability in Empirical Project Monitor - eXtended all versions allows remote authenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/01/2020
The CVE-2017-2173 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Empirical Project Monitor eXtended platform, a widely deployed project management and monitoring solution. This vulnerability affects all versions of the software and poses significant security risks to organizations relying on the platform for their operational monitoring needs. The flaw resides in the application's handling of user input, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of authenticated user sessions. The vulnerability's classification as a persistent XSS issue means that the malicious code injection can occur through various unspecified vectors within the application's interface, potentially affecting multiple user roles and access levels. Given that the attack requires only authenticated access, this vulnerability particularly concerns organizations where privileged users maintain active sessions within the platform, as the attack surface expands to include any functionality that processes user-supplied data without proper sanitization.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the Empirical Project Monitor eXtended application. Attackers with valid credentials can leverage this flaw by crafting malicious payloads that exploit the application's data processing pathways, particularly in areas where user-generated content is displayed without proper sanitization. The unspecified vectors suggest that the vulnerability may manifest across multiple functional components of the application, potentially including project configuration interfaces, user management modules, or reporting features where user input is rendered back to other users. This broad attack surface increases the exploitability and impact potential of the vulnerability, as malicious actors can identify various entry points within the application's interface to inject their payloads. The vulnerability's persistence is particularly concerning as it allows attackers to maintain their malicious code execution across multiple sessions and interactions within the application, potentially enabling long-term surveillance or data exfiltration activities.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-2173 extends beyond simple script injection, creating potential pathways for more sophisticated attacks that could compromise entire user sessions and organizational data integrity. An authenticated attacker could leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, or execute malicious code that could escalate privileges within the application. The vulnerability's presence in a project monitoring tool particularly raises concerns about sensitive operational data exposure, as project metrics, user information, and system configurations could all be compromised through this XSS vector. Organizations using the Empirical Project Monitor eXtended platform face potential data breaches, unauthorized access to confidential project information, and possible system compromise through session hijacking or credential theft. The attack's requirement for only authenticated access means that even basic credential compromise could lead to significant security incidents, as the vulnerability allows for persistent malicious activity within the application environment. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where user accounts have elevated privileges or access to sensitive operational data.
Organizations should immediately implement comprehensive mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability, beginning with urgent software patching and updates from the vendor. The remediation approach should include input validation improvements, output encoding mechanisms, and comprehensive code review processes to identify and address similar vulnerabilities within the application's codebase. Security teams should also implement network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious activities related to this vulnerability and establish user access controls to minimize the impact of potential exploitation. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in software applications, and the attack patterns correspond to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 which involves credential access through phishing and social engineering. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify additional vulnerabilities within the platform and ensure that input sanitization mechanisms are properly implemented across all user-facing interfaces. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and additional monitoring controls to detect and prevent exploitation attempts, particularly in environments where the application processes sensitive operational data.