CVE-2022-37318 in Archer
Summary
by MITRE • 08/26/2022
Archer Platform 6.9 SP2 P2 before 6.11 P3 (6.11.0.3) contain a reflected XSS vulnerability. A remote unauthenticated malicious Archer user could potentially exploit this vulnerability by tricking a victim application user into supplying malicious JavaScript code to the vulnerable web application. This code is then reflected to the victim and gets executed by the web browser in the context of the vulnerable web application. 6.10 P4 (6.10.0.4) and 6.11 P2 HF4 (6.11.0.2.4) are also fixed releases.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/02/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-37318 represents a critical reflected cross-site scripting flaw within the Archer Platform version 6.9 SP2 P2 through 6.11 P3, specifically affecting versions prior to 6.10 P4 and 6.11 P2 HF4. This security weakness resides in the web application's handling of user input parameters that are directly reflected back to users without proper sanitization or encoding mechanisms. The vulnerability allows an attacker to inject malicious JavaScript code through crafted input that gets executed in the victim's browser context, creating a persistent security risk for organizations utilizing this platform. The affected versions demonstrate a failure in input validation and output encoding practices that are fundamental to preventing XSS attacks.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a classic reflected XSS attack vector where an attacker crafts malicious input parameters and delivers them to a victim user through social engineering tactics or phishing campaigns. When the victim clicks on a malicious link or interacts with the crafted content, the web application reflects the malicious JavaScript code back to the victim's browser, which then executes the script within the context of the vulnerable Archer application. This execution context provides the attacker with the ability to perform actions on behalf of the victim user, potentially accessing sensitive data, modifying application functionality, or redirecting users to malicious sites. The vulnerability specifically affects the platform's web interface components that process user-supplied parameters without adequate security controls.
The operational impact of this reflected XSS vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable sophisticated attack chains that compromise the integrity and confidentiality of Archer platform operations. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions within the application, access restricted administrative functions, or exfiltrate sensitive information from the platform. The unauthenticated nature of the attack means that no prior credentials are required to exploit this flaw, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by any malicious actor with access to the target environment. Organizations using affected Archer versions face potential data breaches, regulatory compliance violations, and reputational damage if this vulnerability is exploited in production environments.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including applying the vendor-provided patches released in versions 6.10 P4 and 6.11 P2 HF4, which address the reflected XSS vulnerability through proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can provide additional layers of protection by monitoring and filtering malicious traffic patterns associated with XSS attacks. Security teams should conduct thorough input validation reviews and implement comprehensive logging of user interactions to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting flaws, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through spearphishing attachments or links, highlighting the importance of user education and awareness programs. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components and ensure overall platform security posture remains robust against evolving threat landscape.