CVE-2022-38089 in Exment
Summary
by MITRE • 08/24/2022
Stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in Exment ((PHP8) exceedone/exment v5.0.2 and earlier and exceedone/laravel-admin v3.0.0 and earlier, (PHP7) exceedone/exment v4.4.2 and earlier and exceedone/laravel-admin v2.2.2 and earlier) allows a remote authenticated attacker to inject an arbitrary script.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/25/2022
This stored cross-site scripting vulnerability exists within the Exment application framework, specifically affecting versions up to and including v5.0.2 for PHP8 environments and v4.4.2 for PHP7 environments, alongside their respective laravel-admin components. The flaw allows authenticated attackers to inject malicious scripts that persist within the application's database storage, making it a particularly dangerous vulnerability as the malicious code executes whenever affected pages are loaded by other users. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the application's data handling processes, particularly in how user-supplied content is stored and subsequently rendered without proper sanitization.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the application's failure to properly sanitize user input before storing it in the database, combined with inadequate output escaping when rendering stored content. This creates a persistent XSS vector where malicious scripts can be executed in the context of other users' browsers, potentially enabling session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions within the application. The vulnerability affects the core data management functionality of Exment, which is designed to handle various user inputs including form fields, file uploads, and configuration settings. Attackers can leverage this weakness by crafting malicious payloads that exploit the application's data storage mechanisms, ensuring that the injected scripts execute whenever legitimate users interact with the affected application components.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations using Exment for administrative and data management purposes. The authenticated nature of the attack means that attackers must first obtain valid credentials, but once achieved, they can establish persistent malicious presence within the application. The impact extends beyond simple script execution to potentially enable privilege escalation, data exfiltration, and complete compromise of the application's integrity. Organizations using affected versions face potential exposure to attackers who can manipulate stored data, inject backdoors, or conduct phishing attacks against other users. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-079, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a classic case of inadequate input validation and output encoding in web applications.
The attack surface for this vulnerability encompasses all application features that accept user input and store it for later display, particularly affecting administrative interfaces and data entry forms. Successful exploitation can result in unauthorized access to sensitive organizational data, modification of critical application settings, and potential lateral movement within network environments where Exment is deployed. Organizations should consider implementing comprehensive monitoring for suspicious user activities and anomalous data modifications, as these may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also relates to ATT&CK technique T1566, specifically targeting credential access through malicious content delivery, and T1059, which involves command and script injection techniques that could be amplified through this XSS vector.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching to the latest available versions of both Exment and laravel-admin components, as well as implementing additional security controls such as content security policies, input sanitization layers, and regular security scanning of stored data. Organizations should also establish robust user access controls, implement multi-factor authentication, and conduct regular security assessments of their Exment installations. The implementation of web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems can provide additional layers of protection against exploitation attempts. Regular security training for administrators and users can help identify potential exploitation attempts and reduce the risk of successful attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing automated vulnerability scanning tools that can detect and alert on potentially malicious content stored within the application's database systems.