CVE-2021-36062 in Connect
Summary
by MITRE • 09/01/2021
Adobe Connect version 11.2.2 (and earlier) is affected by a Reflected Cross-site Scripting vulnerability that could be abused by an attacker to inject malicious scripts into vulnerable form fields. If an attacker is able to convince a victim to visit a URL referencing a vulnerable page, malicious JavaScript content may be executed within the context of the victim's browser.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/04/2021
Adobe Connect versions 11.2.2 and earlier contain a reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability that represents a significant security risk for organizations relying on this collaboration platform. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-site Scripting and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for Initial Access through Spearphishing Attachment. The flaw occurs when the application fails to properly sanitize user input in form fields, allowing malicious scripts to be reflected back to users without adequate encoding or validation measures.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability enables attackers to craft malicious URLs that, when visited by unsuspecting victims, execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the victim's browser context. This reflected nature means the malicious payload is not stored on the server but rather injected through the URL parameters or form inputs, making it particularly dangerous for web applications that process user-supplied data. The vulnerability specifically affects the handling of form fields where user input is directly echoed back to the browser without proper sanitization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform session hijacking, steal cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or even execute more sophisticated attacks such as credential theft through browser-based attacks. Organizations using Adobe Connect for online meetings, training sessions, and collaborative work environments face elevated risk since attackers can exploit this vulnerability to compromise user sessions and potentially gain access to sensitive corporate information. The attack surface is particularly broad given that many users may inadvertently click on malicious links shared through email or other communication channels.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of Adobe Connect to version 11.2.3 or later, which addresses this specific vulnerability through proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should also implement additional security controls including web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious script patterns, regular security assessments of the application's input handling, and user education programs to recognize potentially malicious links. Network-level protections such as content security policies and proper browser security headers can provide additional defense-in-depth measures against exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date software and implementing comprehensive input validation across all web applications to prevent such persistent threats from compromising user sessions and organizational security.