CVE-2019-16873 in Portainer
Summary
by MITRE
Portainer before 1.22.1 has XSS (issue 1 of 2).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/05/2024
Portainer is a popular open-source container management platform that provides a web-based interface for managing docker environments. The vulnerability CVE-2019-16873 represents a cross-site scripting flaw that affects versions prior to 1.22.1, specifically addressing the first of two identified XSS issues within the application. This vulnerability resides in the application's handling of user input within the endpoint configuration section, where insufficient sanitization of input parameters allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary javascript code into the application's response.
The technical flaw manifests when users configure endpoint settings within the Portainer interface, particularly in fields that accept user-provided data such as endpoint names, URLs, or other configuration parameters. The vulnerability occurs because the application fails to properly sanitize or escape user input before rendering it back to the browser, creating an opportunity for attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of the victim's browser session. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically representing a reflected XSS attack vector where malicious payloads are injected through the application's input handling mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or session hijacking, as it can enable attackers to perform actions on behalf of authenticated users within the Portainer environment. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could potentially gain unauthorized access to container management functions, manipulate endpoint configurations, or execute commands within the containerized environment. The attack typically requires social engineering to entice victims to click on malicious links or visit compromised web pages that contain the XSS payload, making this a significant risk for organizations that rely on Portainer for their container orchestration management.
Organizations utilizing Portainer should immediately upgrade to version 1.22.1 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as the fix implements proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. Additional mitigations include implementing content security policies to restrict script execution, configuring proper input validation at the application level, and conducting regular security assessments of container management interfaces. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, and demonstrates the importance of proper input validation in web applications. The security community has identified this as a critical issue given Portainer's widespread adoption in enterprise container management environments, where the potential for privilege escalation and unauthorized access to containerized applications makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous.