CVE-2019-1010147 in Smart Reporting
Summary
by MITRE
Yellowfin Smart Reporting All Versions Prior to 7.3 is affected by: Incorrect Access Control - Privileges Escalation. The impact is: Victim attacked and access admin functionality through their browser and control browser. The component is: MIAdminStyles.i4. The attack vector is: Victims are typically lured to a web site under the attacker's control; the XSS vulnerability on the target domain is silently exploited without the victim's knowledge. The fixed version is: 7.4 and later.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/13/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-1010147 represents a critical access control flaw in Yellowfin Smart Reporting versions prior to 7.3, specifically affecting the MIAdminStyles.i4 component. This issue falls under the CWE-284 access control weakness category, where improper privileges are granted to unauthorized users. The vulnerability stems from inadequate authorization checks that allow attackers to escalate their privileges and gain administrative access to the system through browser-based exploitation. The flaw manifests as a privilege escalation vulnerability that enables malicious actors to bypass normal authentication mechanisms and assume administrative roles within the Yellowfin reporting environment.
The attack scenario for this vulnerability typically involves social engineering tactics where victims are lured to malicious websites controlled by attackers. The exploitation leverages cross-site scripting vulnerabilities that are silently executed within the victim's browser without their knowledge or consent. This represents a sophisticated attack vector that combines multiple exploitation techniques to achieve unauthorized administrative access. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data access, as successful exploitation allows attackers to control browser-based operations and manipulate the entire reporting system. The attack chain begins with the initial compromise through a malicious website, followed by the exploitation of the XSS vulnerability to execute malicious code that silently escalates privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for organizations using affected Yellowfin versions, as it provides attackers with complete administrative control over the reporting infrastructure. Once exploited, attackers can modify report configurations, access sensitive data, manipulate user permissions, and potentially exfiltrate confidential information. The browser-based nature of the attack means that organizations cannot easily detect the compromise through traditional network monitoring tools, as the exploitation occurs entirely within the victim's browser environment. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely heavily on Yellowfin for business intelligence and reporting, as it essentially provides a backdoor to their entire reporting ecosystem.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to Yellowfin Smart Reporting version 7.4 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as this represents the first fixed version that addresses the privilege escalation flaw. The mitigation strategy should also include implementing robust web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious browser-based activities. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to ensure no other components within their Yellowfin deployment are similarly affected. Additionally, organizations should review their access control policies and implement additional security measures such as multi-factor authentication and regular privilege reviews to minimize the impact of potential exploitation. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date software versions and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against browser-based attacks that leverage cross-site scripting vulnerabilities for privilege escalation purposes.