CVE-2019-15532 in CyberChef
Summary
by MITRE
CyberChef before 8.31.2 allows XSS in core/operations/TextEncodingBruteForce.mjs.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/04/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-15532 represents a cross-site scripting flaw discovered in the CyberChef web application prior to version 8.31.2. This security issue specifically affects the core/operations/TextEncodingBruteForce.mjs module, which is responsible for handling text encoding brute force operations within the application's functionality. The flaw manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user input before incorporating it into the response output, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary JavaScript code.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding practices within the TextEncodingBruteForce module. When users interact with this particular operation, they may provide text input that gets processed and subsequently rendered back to the browser without adequate sanitization. This creates a classic XSS attack vector where an attacker can craft malicious payloads that execute within the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for Initial Access through Spearphishing Attachments, as the malicious code could be delivered through crafted input that appears legitimate to users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers to potentially steal session cookies, perform actions on behalf of authenticated users, or redirect victims to malicious websites. In the context of CyberChef, which is widely used for data manipulation and encoding tasks, an attacker could exploit this flaw to compromise the security of users who perform operations using the vulnerable version. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that CyberChef is often used in security research and forensic analysis contexts where users may be processing sensitive data, making the potential for data exfiltration or system compromise more severe.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve upgrading to CyberChef version 8.31.2 or later, which includes proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should also implement additional security measures such as content security policies to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts, and conduct regular security assessments of web applications to identify similar vulnerabilities. The fix typically involves implementing proper HTML escaping of user-provided content before rendering it in the browser context, ensuring that any special characters are properly encoded to prevent script injection attacks. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious input patterns that may indicate attempted exploitation of similar vulnerabilities.