CVE-2017-5832 in Adserver
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Revive Adserver before 4.0.1 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the user's email address.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/03/2020
The CVE-2017-5832 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in Revive Adserver versions prior to 4.0.1, demonstrating a fundamental weakness in input validation and output encoding mechanisms within web applications. This vulnerability specifically targets the user email address field, which serves as an entry point for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability's classification as a persistent XSS issue stems from the fact that user-provided email addresses are not properly sanitized before being rendered in web pages, creating a vector through which attackers can inject malicious payloads that persist and execute whenever affected pages are accessed.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to possess valid authentication credentials within the Revive Adserver system, making it an authenticated XSS vulnerability rather than a purely remote threat. Attackers can leverage this privilege to modify their own user profiles by inserting malicious JavaScript code into the email address field, which then gets executed when other users view the affected user's profile or when the email address is displayed in administrative interfaces. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79, which specifically addresses Cross-site Scripting flaws, and aligns with the ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for Initial Access through Valid Accounts, as it requires legitimate user credentials to exploit effectively. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple script execution, as it can potentially enable session hijacking, data exfiltration, and further privilege escalation within the compromised environment.
The operational implications of CVE-2017-5832 are significant for organizations relying on Revive Adserver for advertising management and user account handling. When exploited, this vulnerability can allow attackers to steal session cookies from authenticated users, potentially gaining full administrative access to the advertising platform and its underlying data. The persistent nature of the XSS vector means that malicious code can remain active for extended periods, continuously affecting users who encounter the compromised email addresses in various contexts within the application. Organizations may experience data breaches, unauthorized advertising activities, and potential compromise of user privacy, as attackers can craft payloads to harvest sensitive information or redirect users to malicious sites. The vulnerability also impacts the integrity of the application's user interface and can cause disruption to normal business operations through the injection of unwanted content or functionality.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement the remediation measures provided by the Revive Adserver vendor, including upgrading to version 4.0.1 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the XSS vulnerability. The mitigation strategy should also include implementing proper input validation and output encoding for all user-provided data, particularly email addresses and other fields that may be rendered in web contexts. Security teams should conduct thorough code reviews to ensure that similar vulnerabilities do not exist in other parts of the application or related systems, implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to provide additional protection against XSS attacks. Regular security testing, including automated scanning and manual penetration testing, should be performed to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in the application's codebase. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring solutions to detect and prevent exploitation attempts, while ensuring that user accounts are properly secured through strong authentication mechanisms and regular credential reviews to minimize the risk of unauthorized access to the system.