CVE-2018-8924 in Office
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Title Tootip in Synology Office before 3.0.3-2143 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the malicious file name.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/21/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-8924 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within Synology Office's Title Tooltip functionality, specifically affecting versions prior to 3.0.3-2143. This issue resides in the web application's handling of file names within the tooltip display mechanism, creating a pathway for malicious code injection that can be exploited by authenticated users. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic XSS weakness where user-provided input fails to undergo proper sanitization before being rendered in the web interface, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary scripts in the context of other users' browsers.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of file names that are subsequently displayed in tooltips within the Synology Office interface. When an authenticated user views a file with a maliciously crafted name containing script tags or other malicious content, the application fails to properly escape or filter this input before rendering it in the tooltip display. This creates a persistent XSS vector where the malicious payload executes in the browser context of any user who encounters the affected tooltip, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or other malicious activities. The vulnerability operates under CWE-79 which categorizes improper neutralization of input during web page generation, specifically targeting the improper handling of user-controllable data in web applications.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables remote authenticated attackers to execute malicious scripts against other users within the same Synology Office environment. The attack requires only that the malicious user have valid authentication credentials to the system, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users share the same platform. The attacker can craft file names containing malicious JavaScript that executes when other users view the tooltips, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive documents, data exfiltration, or complete compromise of user sessions. The persistent nature of the vulnerability means that once a malicious file name is created, it continues to pose a threat to all users who encounter the tooltip, regardless of when they access the system.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2018-8924 involves updating to Synology Office version 3.0.3-2143 or later, which includes proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms for tooltip content. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation that strips or encodes potentially dangerous characters such as angle brackets, script tags, and other HTML elements before rendering user-provided content in web interfaces. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide additional defense-in-depth measures to prevent script execution even if input validation is bypassed. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, and T1566.001 for Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment, demonstrating how XSS vulnerabilities can serve as initial access vectors for broader attacks. Regular security assessments and input validation reviews should be conducted to prevent similar issues in other components of the application stack, particularly focusing on areas where user input is rendered in web contexts without proper sanitization.