CVE-2018-17193 in NiFi
Summary
by MITRE
The message-page.jsp error page used the value of the HTTP request header X-ProxyContextPath without sanitization, resulting in a reflected XSS attack. Mitigation: The fix to correctly parse and sanitize the request attribute value was applied on the Apache NiFi 1.8.0 release. Users running a prior 1.x release should upgrade to the appropriate release.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/22/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-17193 represents a critical reflected cross-site scripting weakness within the Apache NiFi application ecosystem. This security flaw was embedded within the message-page.jsp error handling component that processes HTTP request headers during error scenarios. The specific vulnerability arose from the application's failure to properly sanitize input values derived from the X-ProxyContextPath HTTP request header, creating an exploitable pathway for malicious actors to inject client-side scripts into the application's response.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation and sanitization practices within the NiFi web interface. When the application encountered an error condition, it would render the message-page.jsp page and directly incorporate the value of the X-ProxyContextPath header into the generated HTML response without adequate sanitization. This reflected XSS vulnerability allowed attackers to craft malicious HTTP requests containing specially formatted payloads within the X-ProxyContextPath header, which would then be executed in the context of other users' browsers when they viewed the error page.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it provides attackers with the capability to perform session hijacking, data theft, and privilege escalation within the NiFi environment. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to steal user sessions, access sensitive configuration data, or manipulate the NiFi flow management interface. The reflected nature of the attack means that exploitation requires user interaction with a maliciously crafted link or request, but the vulnerability's presence in the error handling path makes it particularly dangerous as it could be triggered by various error conditions during normal application operation.
Security practitioners should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a fundamental weakness in web application security. The flaw also maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script injection and T1566 for phishing attacks that could leverage reflected XSS to compromise user sessions. The mitigation implemented by Apache NiFi in version 1.8.0 involved proper parsing and sanitization of the request attribute value, ensuring that any potentially malicious content within the X-ProxyContextPath header would be neutralized before inclusion in the response. Organizations running NiFi versions prior to 1.8.0 should urgently implement the upgrade to address this vulnerability, as the error handling component would continue to expose users to reflected XSS attacks. The fix demonstrates proper secure coding practices by implementing input validation and output encoding as recommended in OWASP Top 10 security guidelines for preventing XSS vulnerabilities in web applications.