CVE-2021-27930 in IRISNext
Summary
by MITRE • 07/06/2021
Multiple stored XSS vulnerabilities in IrisNext Edition 9.5.16, which allows an authenticated (or compromised) user to inject malicious JavaScript in folder/file name within the application in order to grab other users’ sessions or execute malicious code in their browsers (1-click RCE).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/10/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-27930 represents a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw discovered in IrisNext Edition 9.5.16, a document management and collaboration platform widely used in enterprise environments. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the application's file and folder naming functionality, creating a persistent security weakness that can be exploited by authenticated users with minimal privileges. The flaw specifically manifests when users can manipulate folder or file names through the web interface, allowing them to inject malicious JavaScript code that persists in the application's database and executes whenever other users view the affected resources.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows a well-established pattern that aligns with CWE-79 Cross-site Scripting attack vectors, where user-supplied data is improperly sanitized before being rendered in web pages. In the context of IrisNext Edition 9.5.16, the vulnerability occurs because the application fails to properly encode or escape special characters in file and folder names during storage operations. When other authenticated users navigate to directories containing these maliciously named elements, their browsers execute the injected JavaScript code within their browser context, potentially compromising their sessions or executing arbitrary commands. This stored XSS variant is particularly dangerous because the malicious payload persists indefinitely until manually removed by administrators, making it a long-term threat to all users who encounter the affected resources.
The operational impact of CVE-2021-27930 extends beyond simple session hijacking, as it enables what security researchers classify as one-click remote code execution capabilities through the ATT&CK framework's T1059.1.001 technique for command and scripting interpreter. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access to target environments, harvest sensitive credentials, and potentially escalate privileges within the application. The vulnerability affects all authenticated users within the system, making it particularly concerning for organizations with extensive user bases where even a single compromised account could serve as an entry point for broader exploitation. Additionally, the nature of stored XSS means that the attack surface expands over time as more users interact with the compromised resources, potentially affecting thousands of users across multiple sessions.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including comprehensive input validation and output encoding controls for all user-supplied data, particularly in naming fields for files and folders. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers and proper HTML encoding of user-generated content can significantly reduce the exploitation potential of this vulnerability. System administrators should conduct thorough audits of existing file and folder names to identify potentially malicious entries and establish regular monitoring procedures for unusual naming patterns. According to industry best practices and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, organizations must also maintain robust incident response procedures to quickly identify and remediate such vulnerabilities. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-79 emphasizes the need for comprehensive application security testing including dynamic and static analysis, while the ATT&CK framework's categorization highlights the importance of network monitoring and user behavior analytics to detect potential exploitation attempts. Regular security updates and patch management processes should be prioritized to ensure all users operate on secure versions of the IrisNext platform, with particular attention to the specific version 9.5.16 that contains this vulnerability.