CVE-2017-6559 in Agora-Project
Summary
by MITRE
XSS in Agora-Project 3.2.2 exists with an index.php?disconnect=1&msgNotif[]=[XSS] attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/29/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-6559 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within Agora-Project version 3.2.2 that allows attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of a victim's browser. This particular vulnerability manifests through a specific attack vector involving the index.php endpoint with parameters disconnect=1 and msgNotif[]=[XSS]. The flaw resides in the application's improper handling of user-supplied input within the message notification parameter, which fails to adequately sanitize or escape the data before rendering it in the web interface.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from a lack of input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the Agora-Project application framework. When the application processes the msgNotif[] parameter containing malicious script code, it directly incorporates this unvalidated input into the HTML response without appropriate sanitization measures. This creates an environment where attacker-controlled content can be executed as JavaScript within the victim's browser context, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or other malicious activities. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting weaknesses in web applications, and follows the patterns described in the OWASP Top Ten under A03:2021 - Injection, as the flaw allows for code injection through improperly validated user input.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks within the application's security boundaries. An attacker could craft malicious payloads that exploit the XSS vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The attack requires minimal privileges and can be executed through simple URL manipulation, making it particularly dangerous as it can be delivered via email phishing campaigns, social engineering, or compromised web pages. The vulnerability affects the authentication and session management aspects of the application, potentially undermining the entire security model of the Agora-Project platform.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-6559 should prioritize immediate patching of the affected Agora-Project version to address the root cause of the input validation failure. Organizations should implement comprehensive input sanitization mechanisms that properly encode all user-supplied data before rendering it in web responses, utilizing techniques such as HTML entity encoding and context-appropriate output escaping. The implementation of Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can provide additional defense-in-depth measures to prevent script execution from untrusted sources. Security teams should also consider deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious parameter patterns associated with XSS attacks. Regular security testing including automated scanning and manual penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components, with particular attention to any parameters that handle user input in web applications. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and output encoding practices as outlined in the OWASP Secure Coding practices and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 for Exploitation for Credential Access through web-based attack vectors.