CVE-2018-18886 in Helpy
Summary
by MITRE
Helpy v2.1.0 has Stored XSS via the Ticket title.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/06/2023
CVE-2018-18886 represents a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability found in Helpy version 2.1.0, specifically within the ticket title functionality. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-79 which defines improper neutralization of input during web page generation, making it a classic stored XSS flaw. The vulnerability occurs when user input submitted through the ticket title field is not properly sanitized or encoded before being stored in the database and subsequently rendered back to other users viewing the ticket list or details page. When an attacker crafts a malicious payload in the ticket title field, this payload gets stored server-side and executed whenever any user accesses the affected ticket, regardless of whether they are authenticated or not.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it allows attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of other users' browsers. This can lead to session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and potentially full system compromise if users with administrative privileges interact with the malicious ticket. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that the malicious payload persists indefinitely until manually removed by administrators, making it particularly dangerous for long-term exploitation. Attackers could inject malicious scripts that redirect users to phishing sites, steal cookies, or even inject additional malicious code that could be used to escalate privileges within the application.
The vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation and output encoding practices within the Helpy application's data handling pipeline. According to ATT&CK framework technique T1531, adversaries may exploit such vulnerabilities to establish persistent access and execute malicious code. Organizations using Helpy v2.1.0 should immediately implement proper input sanitization measures, including HTML encoding of all user-supplied content before storage, and employ Content Security Policy headers to mitigate potential exploitation. Additionally, regular security audits of input handling mechanisms, proper parameter validation, and output encoding should be enforced across all application components to prevent similar vulnerabilities from manifesting in future versions of the software. The fix should involve comprehensive sanitization of all user inputs, particularly those that are rendered back to users in web contexts, ensuring that any potentially malicious script tags or javascript protocols are properly neutralized before database storage.