CVE-2018-1000528 in GOsa
Summary
by MITRE
GONICUS GOsa version before commit 56070d6289d47ba3f5918885954dcceb75606001 contains a Cross Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in change password form (html/password.php, #308) that can result in injection of arbitrary web script or HTML. This attack appear to be exploitable via the victim must open a specially crafted web page. This vulnerability appears to have been fixed in after commit 56070d6289d47ba3f5918885954dcceb75606001.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/29/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1000528 affects GONICUS GOsa versions prior to commit 56070d6289d47ba3f5918885954dcceb75606001 and represents a critical cross site scripting flaw within the password change functionality of the web application. This vulnerability specifically resides in the html/password.php file at line 308, where user input is not properly sanitized before being rendered back to the browser. The flaw allows attackers to inject malicious scripts or HTML content that can be executed in the context of a victim's browser session when they navigate to a specially crafted web page. The attack vector requires victim interaction through opening a malicious link or page, making this a client-side exploitation scenario rather than a server-side vulnerability.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross site scripting flaws where untrusted data is improperly incorporated into web pages without appropriate validation or escaping mechanisms. This weakness enables attackers to bypass access controls and potentially escalate privileges within the application context. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it targets the password change form, which is a critical security component that users trust for sensitive operations. When users attempt to change their passwords, they may unknowingly execute malicious code that could capture credentials, redirect them to phishing sites, or perform unauthorized actions on their behalf. The exploitation process involves crafting malicious input that gets stored or processed in a way that allows the injected script to execute in the victim's browser context.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to user accounts and system security. Attackers could leverage this flaw to steal user session cookies, leading to account takeovers and unauthorized access to sensitive information. The vulnerability also enables potential data exfiltration attacks where malicious scripts could collect user input or extract information from the application. Since the password change form is a frequently accessed component, the attack surface is substantial, and the impact could extend to multiple user accounts within the organization. The fact that this vulnerability was patched in commit 56070d6289d47ba3f5918885954dcceb75606001 indicates that proper input validation and output escaping mechanisms were implemented to prevent the injection of untrusted content. Organizations using affected versions of GOsa should prioritize immediate patching and consider implementing additional security measures such as web application firewalls to protect against potential exploitation attempts.
The attack scenario for this vulnerability follows patterns consistent with the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1059 technique category, which covers command and script injection. This vulnerability could be exploited as part of a broader attack chain where initial compromise leads to credential theft through the password change functionality. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation in web applications, particularly in security-critical components such as authentication and password management features. The fix implemented in the subsequent commit likely involved proper HTML escaping of user input or implementation of content security policies to prevent script execution in the context of the vulnerable page. Organizations should conduct comprehensive security testing of their web applications, including input validation checks and automated scanning for similar XSS vulnerabilities across all user input handling components.