CVE-2019-14967 in Frappe
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Frappe Framework 10, 11 before 11.1.46, and 12. There exists an XSS vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/23/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-14967 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within the Frappe Framework, a popular open-source web application development framework used for building business applications. This security weakness affects multiple versions of the framework including the 10.x and 11.x series before 11.1.46, as well as the 12.x series, indicating a widespread impact across several major releases. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the framework's handling of user-provided data, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject malicious scripts into web applications built using this framework. The flaw specifically manifests when the framework fails to properly sanitize user inputs before rendering them in web pages, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of other users' browsers.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which describes cross-site scripting flaws where untrusted data is incorporated into web pages without proper validation or encoding. This weakness enables attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and data manipulation. The vulnerability operates by exploiting the framework's insufficient sanitization of user inputs in web forms, API endpoints, or other interactive elements where user data is processed and displayed. When users interact with applications built on the vulnerable Frappe Framework versions, malicious scripts embedded in user inputs can execute in the browsers of other users who view the affected content, creating a persistent threat vector.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can lead to complete compromise of web applications built on the affected framework versions. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, modify application functionality, or even gain administrative privileges within the affected applications. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects the foundational framework level rather than individual applications, meaning that any application built using the vulnerable versions of Frappe Framework could be compromised. This creates a widespread risk across organizations that rely on Frappe Framework for their business applications, potentially affecting thousands of users depending on the scale of deployment.
Organizations using affected Frappe Framework versions should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to patched versions 11.1.46 or later and 12.x series releases. Additionally, administrators should implement proper input validation at multiple levels, including application-level sanitization of user inputs and output encoding of dynamic content. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense in depth, though they should not be relied upon as the sole mitigation. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security updates and dependency management within open-source ecosystems, as this flaw demonstrates how framework-level vulnerabilities can cascade through numerous applications built on top of the affected components. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments of all applications built on the affected Frappe Framework versions and implement monitoring for potential exploitation attempts.