CVE-2021-38138 in OneNav
Summary
by MITRE • 08/05/2021
OneNav beta 0.9.12 allows XSS via the Add Link feature. NOTE: the vendor's position is that there intentionally is not any XSS protection at present, because the attack risk is largely limited to a compromised account; however, XSS protection is planned for a future release.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/10/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-38138 affects OneNav beta 0.9.12, a web application that facilitates link management and navigation functionality. This particular issue manifests as a cross-site scripting vulnerability within the Add Link feature, representing a significant security weakness that could potentially compromise user sessions and data integrity. The vulnerability exists in the application's input validation mechanisms, specifically failing to properly sanitize user-supplied data before processing and storing it within the system's database. Security researchers have identified that malicious actors can exploit this flaw by injecting malicious script code through the link addition interface, which then executes in the context of other users' browsers when they view the affected content.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of input parameters within the Add Link functionality. When users submit links containing malicious script code, the application stores this data without proper encoding or validation, creating an environment where reflected or stored cross-site scripting attacks can occur. This flaw aligns with CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting vulnerabilities as weaknesses in input validation and output encoding. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it allows attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in victims' browsers, potentially enabling session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious websites. The application's architecture appears to lack proper security controls at the input sanitization layer, where user data should be properly escaped or encoded before being processed or stored in the database.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption, as it creates a potential pathway for attackers to escalate privileges and compromise user accounts. While the vendor has stated that they intentionally omitted XSS protection at this stage due to the perceived limited attack surface, this assessment may be overly optimistic given that XSS vulnerabilities can serve as initial footholds for more sophisticated attacks. The threat landscape indicates that attackers often leverage XSS vulnerabilities as stepping stones for privilege escalation, session manipulation, or as part of multi-stage attack campaigns. In a real-world scenario, an attacker could craft malicious links that, when viewed by other users, would execute scripts that steal session cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or even modify the application's functionality. This vulnerability particularly affects users who have administrative privileges or access to sensitive data, as the attack surface expands to include potential data exfiltration and unauthorized modifications to the navigation system.
Security practitioners should implement immediate mitigations while acknowledging the vendor's planned future protections, as the current state leaves the application vulnerable to exploitation. The most effective immediate countermeasures include implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms, specifically employing HTML entity encoding for all user-supplied content before storage and display. Organizations should also consider implementing content security policies that restrict script execution and provide additional layers of protection against XSS attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following secure coding practices and implementing defense-in-depth strategies, as outlined in the mitre ATT&CK framework under the execution and persistence tactics. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities across the application's attack surface, while the vendor should prioritize implementing comprehensive XSS protection mechanisms in future releases to address this critical security gap.