CVE-2017-7535 in Foreman
Summary
by MITRE
foreman before version 1.16.0 is vulnerable to a stored XSS in organizations/locations assignment to hosts. Exploiting this requires a user to actively assign hosts to an organization that contains html in its name which is visible to the user prior to taking action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/25/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-7535 represents a stored cross-site scripting flaw within the foreman configuration management platform prior to version 1.16.0. This security weakness specifically affects the handling of organization and location assignments to host systems within the platform's user interface. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly escape HTML characters when displaying organization names in user-facing interfaces. Attackers can exploit this weakness by creating organizations with malicious HTML content in their names, which then gets stored in the system's database and subsequently rendered in various user interface elements without proper sanitization.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires a specific set of conditions to be met. An attacker must first have the ability to create or modify organization definitions within the foreman platform, then craft organization names containing malicious script payloads. When other users view the host assignment interfaces or organization listings, the stored HTML content gets executed in their browsers, potentially leading to unauthorized actions being performed on their behalf. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically classified as a stored XSS variant where malicious content is permanently stored on the target server and then served to other users. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it leverages legitimate user interface elements and requires minimal privileges to execute.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or session hijacking. When exploited successfully, this stored XSS could enable attackers to perform actions such as modifying host configurations, accessing restricted administrative functions, or stealing session cookies from authenticated users. The vulnerability affects the integrity of the platform's user interface and potentially compromises the trust relationships between users and the system. Given that foreman is commonly used for managing large-scale infrastructure deployments, the exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to widespread compromise of host management capabilities. The attack chain typically involves a user with appropriate privileges creating a malicious organization name, followed by other users viewing the affected interface elements, resulting in script execution in their browsers.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to foreman version 1.16.0 or later where this vulnerability has been addressed through proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The fix typically involves implementing comprehensive HTML escaping for all user-provided content displayed in web interfaces, ensuring that any HTML characters within organization and location names are properly encoded before rendering. Additional defensive measures include implementing content security policies to limit script execution capabilities, conducting regular security reviews of user input handling mechanisms, and establishing proper access controls to limit who can create or modify organization definitions. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter execution, and T1566 for credential access through social engineering. The vulnerability also demonstrates the importance of proper input validation as outlined in OWASP Top 10 A03:2021 and aligns with NIST Cybersecurity Framework's protecting and detecting functions. Organizations should also consider implementing automated scanning tools to identify similar vulnerabilities in other web applications and establish security awareness training for administrators who might inadvertently create malicious content that could be exploited by other users.