CVE-2017-7663 in OpenMeetings
Summary
by MITRE
Both global and Room chat are vulnerable to XSS attack in Apache OpenMeetings 3.2.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/01/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-7663 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Apache OpenMeetings version 3.2.0. This web-based collaboration platform, widely used for virtual meetings and communication, suffered from insufficient input validation mechanisms that allowed malicious actors to inject arbitrary JavaScript code into chat functionalities. The vulnerability specifically impacted both global chat and room-specific chat features, creating a broad attack surface that could affect all users within the system's communication channels. The flaw stems from the application's failure to properly sanitize user inputs before rendering them in web interfaces, allowing attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of other users' browsers.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which classifies cross-site scripting as a code injection flaw occurring when untrusted data is embedded into web pages without proper validation or encoding. In the context of Apache OpenMeetings, this manifests when user-generated content from chat messages is directly rendered in HTML without appropriate sanitization measures. The vulnerability operates by accepting malicious payloads through chat inputs that contain JavaScript code, which then executes in the browsers of other users who view these messages. This creates a persistent threat vector where attackers can steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of victims, or redirect users to malicious websites.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-7663 extends beyond simple data theft, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity of the communication channels within the OpenMeetings platform. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access to meeting sessions, manipulate real-time communication, and potentially escalate privileges within the system. The global chat functionality amplifies the attack scope since all users within the platform could be exposed to malicious content, while room-specific chat vulnerabilities could allow targeted attacks on specific meeting groups. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and undermines the trust model that users place in secure communication platforms, potentially leading to significant data breaches and unauthorized access to sensitive meeting information.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-7663 require immediate implementation of proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's chat components. Organizations should deploy comprehensive content security policies that prevent execution of unauthorized scripts and implement strict validation of all user inputs before rendering. The recommended approach involves implementing a whitelist-based input filtering system that only allows safe characters and content types while rejecting potentially malicious payloads. Additionally, the system should employ proper HTML encoding for all dynamic content and utilize secure coding practices that prevent direct injection of user data into web contexts. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring solutions that can detect and block suspicious chat content patterns. The vulnerability's remediation aligns with ATT&CK technique T1211, which focuses on exploitation of vulnerabilities in web applications, making it essential for security teams to prioritize patch management and input validation improvements as part of their defensive strategies.