CVE-2022-27913 in Joomla
Summary
by MITRE • 10/25/2022
An issue was discovered in Joomla! 4.2.0 through 4.2.3. Inadequate filtering of potentially malicious user input leads to reflected XSS vulnerabilities in various components.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/25/2022
The vulnerability CVE-2022-27913 represents a critical reflected cross-site scripting weakness discovered in Joomla! versions 4.2.0 through 4.2.3, specifically affecting the core content management system's input validation mechanisms. This flaw resides in the application's insufficient sanitization of user-provided data within multiple components, creating a pathway for malicious actors to inject and execute arbitrary script code within the context of a victim's browser session. The vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly filter and escape user input before rendering it in web responses, which directly violates established security principles for preventing XSS attacks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through inadequate input validation routines that fail to properly sanitize parameters passed to various Joomla application. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious script code is reflected back from the server to the user's browser, making it particularly dangerous as it can be delivered through phishing emails, malicious links, or compromised websites.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-27913 extends beyond simple script execution, as reflected XSS vulnerabilities can enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation within the compromised Joomla framework, increasing the attack surface and making it more challenging for administrators to fully secure their installations. This weakness can be exploited by attackers with minimal technical expertise, as the attack vectors are relatively straightforward and commonly available through automated scanning tools.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately apply the official security patches released by the Joomla installations to identify any custom components or third-party extensions that may be vulnerable to similar input validation issues. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses Cross-site Scripting flaws, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through spearphishing attachments or links. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and regular security monitoring can provide additional layers of protection against exploitation attempts.