CVE-2020-24670 in Vantara Pentaho
Summary
by MITRE • 01/30/2021
The Dashboard Editor in Hitachi Vantara Pentaho through 7.x - 8.x contains a reflected Cross-site scripting vulnerability, which allows an authenticated remote users to execute arbitrary JavaScript code. Specifically, the vulnerability lies in the 'type' attribute of 'dashboardXml' parameter. Remediated in >= 7.1.0.25, >= 8.2.0.6, and >= 8.3.0.0 GA.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/21/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-24670 represents a critical reflected cross-site scripting flaw within the Hitachi Vantara Pentaho Dashboard Editor component. This security weakness affects versions ranging from 7.x through 8.x, creating a significant risk for authenticated users who can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of the victim's browser. The vulnerability specifically manifests in the handling of the 'type' attribute within the 'dashboardXml' parameter, which fails to properly sanitize user input before rendering it in the web interface. This reflected XSS vulnerability enables attackers to inject malicious scripts that can persist in the application's response and execute when other users view the affected dashboard elements. The flaw exists because the application does not adequately validate or escape the 'type' parameter value before incorporating it into the HTML output, creating an opportunity for attackers to craft malicious payloads that exploit the application's trust in user-provided data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform session hijacking, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation within the Pentaho environment. An authenticated attacker can craft specially formatted requests that include malicious JavaScript code within the dashboardXml parameter, which then gets reflected back to other users who view the dashboard. This creates a persistent threat vector where compromised users' sessions can be stolen, sensitive data can be accessed, and the attacker can potentially escalate privileges within the application. The vulnerability affects the entire Pentaho platform's dashboard functionality, making it a high-impact issue for organizations that rely on dashboard reporting and data visualization capabilities. The reflected nature of this XSS means that the malicious code does not need to be stored in the database, but rather is executed directly from the user's request, making detection and prevention more challenging.
Organizations utilizing Pentaho versions affected by CVE-2020-24670 face substantial security risks that align with the CWE-79 weakness category, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1566 technique for "Phishing with Social Engineering" and T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript," as attackers can leverage this flaw to establish persistent JavaScript-based attacks against authenticated users. The remediation path requires upgrading to versions 7.1.0.25, 8.2.0.6, or 8.3.0.0 GA, which implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent the reflection of malicious content. Security professionals should prioritize this vulnerability in their risk assessment due to its authenticated nature and the potential for privilege escalation within the Pentaho application. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of implementing proper input sanitization and output encoding as fundamental security controls, particularly for web applications that process user-supplied data in dynamic content generation scenarios. Organizations should conduct thorough penetration testing and security assessments to identify any potential exploitation of this vulnerability in their production environments, while also implementing network monitoring to detect suspicious traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.