CVE-2018-5230 in JIRA
Summary
by MITRE
The issue collector in Atlassian Jira before version 7.6.6, from version 7.7.0 before version 7.7.4, from version 7.8.0 before version 7.8.4 and from version 7.9.0 before version 7.9.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript via a cross site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the error message of custom fields when an invalid value is specified.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/13/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-5230 represents a critical cross site scripting flaw within Atlassian Jira's issue collector functionality. This vulnerability specifically affects multiple versions of the Jira platform including releases before 7.6.6, 7.7.4, 7.8.4, and 7.9.2, creating a widespread risk across the Jira ecosystem. The flaw resides in how the system handles error messages for custom fields when invalid data is submitted, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript code through crafted input that triggers error responses.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within Jira's custom field error handling mechanisms. When users submit invalid data to custom fields, the system generates error messages that are displayed back to users without proper sanitization of potentially malicious content. This creates an environment where attackers can craft inputs containing script tags or other HTML elements that execute in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability is classified as a classic reflected XSS attack vector, where malicious code is reflected back from the server to the victim's browser through the error message display mechanism.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption or display issues. Attackers can leverage this flaw to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, or execute arbitrary commands within the context of authenticated user sessions. This poses significant risks to organizations relying on Jira for project management, issue tracking, and collaboration, as compromised user sessions could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive project data, modification of critical issue records, or even complete system compromise. The vulnerability particularly affects environments where multiple users interact with custom fields, making it a high-risk exposure for collaborative development teams and enterprise organizations using Jira extensively.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to patched versions of Jira, specifically versions 7.6.6, 7.7.4, 7.8.4, and 7.9.2, which address the input validation and output encoding issues. Additional defensive measures include implementing content security policies to restrict script execution, configuring proper input sanitization for custom field configurations, and monitoring error logs for suspicious patterns. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block known XSS attack patterns, while conducting regular security assessments of custom field implementations to identify potential injection points. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross site scripting flaws, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege in web application security, as demonstrated by the ATT&CK framework's categorization of such vulnerabilities under the execution and persistence domains. The remediation process should include thorough testing of custom field configurations to ensure that all error message handling properly sanitizes user input before display.