CVE-2021-44030 in KACE Desktop Authority
Summary
by MITRE • 12/22/2021
Quest KACE Desktop Authority before 11.2 allows XSS because it does not prevent untrusted HTML from reaching the jQuery.htmlPrefilter method of jQuery.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/25/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-44030 affects Quest KACE Desktop Authority versions prior to 11.2, representing a critical cross-site scripting flaw that stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms. This vulnerability specifically manifests when the system fails to properly sanitize untrusted HTML content before it reaches the jQuery.htmlPrefilter method, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject harmful scripts into the application's web interface. The flaw exists within the application's handling of user-supplied data that gets processed through the jQuery library, which is commonly used for dynamic web content manipulation and DOM operations. Security researchers have classified this issue as a server-side XSS vulnerability, as the malicious payload can be executed in the context of other users' browsers when they interact with affected application components.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the improper sanitization of HTML content within the KACE Desktop Authority web interface. When user input containing malicious HTML or JavaScript is processed by the application and subsequently passed to the jQuery.htmlPrefilter method, the framework fails to adequately filter or escape the content before rendering it in the browser. This allows attackers to inject script tags, event handlers, or other malicious code that executes within the victim's browser session. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because jQuery is a widely used JavaScript library that provides extensive DOM manipulation capabilities, and the htmlPrefilter method specifically handles HTML content that gets inserted into the document. According to CWE-79, this vulnerability directly maps to Cross-Site Scripting flaws that occur when untrusted data is included in web pages without proper sanitization, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to compromise user sessions or escalate privileges within the application environment.
The operational impact of CVE-2021-44030 extends beyond simple script execution, potentially enabling attackers to perform session hijacking, data theft, or privilege escalation within the KACE Desktop Authority environment. Since this vulnerability affects the core web interface components of the desktop management solution, successful exploitation could allow malicious actors to access sensitive configuration data, manipulate device management policies, or gain unauthorized access to managed endpoints. The attack surface is particularly broad given that KACE Desktop Authority is used for comprehensive desktop management and security policy enforcement, meaning that compromised sessions could provide attackers with elevated privileges within enterprise environments. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which describes the use of malicious scripts to gain access to systems, and could potentially enable further lateral movement within networks where the desktop authority system is deployed. Organizations using affected versions may experience unauthorized access to critical endpoint management features, potentially leading to complete compromise of desktop management infrastructure.
Organizations should immediately implement the vendor-provided security patches for Quest KACE Desktop Authority version 11.2 or later to remediate this vulnerability. The patch addresses the insufficient input validation by implementing proper HTML sanitization before content reaches the jQuery.htmlPrefilter method, ensuring that untrusted data cannot be executed as scripts. Additional mitigations include implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious script injection attempts, enforcing strict content security policies to prevent script execution, and conducting thorough security reviews of all user input handling mechanisms within the application. Security teams should also monitor for any signs of exploitation attempts in web server logs, particularly looking for requests containing script tags or unusual HTML content patterns. Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar issues in other web applications within the organization's attack surface, as this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and output encoding in preventing XSS attacks. The remediation process should also include reviewing and updating security configurations for the KACE Desktop Authority system to ensure that all components are properly hardened against similar vulnerabilities.