CVE-2022-42908 in Print Away
Summary
by MITRE • 02/03/2023
WEPA Print Away is vulnerable to a stored XSS. It does not properly sanitize uploaded filenames, allowing an attacker to deceive a user into uploading a document with a malicious filename, which will be included in subsequent HTTP responses, allowing a stored XSS to occur. This attack is persistent across victim sessions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/04/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-42908 affects WEPA Print Away software, presenting a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw that compromises user security across multiple sessions. This weakness resides in the application's inadequate input sanitization mechanisms for uploaded filenames, creating a persistent attack vector that can affect users long after the initial compromise occurs. The vulnerability operates by allowing malicious actors to embed malicious code within filenames during document uploads, which then gets executed when the system references these filenames in subsequent HTTP responses.
The technical implementation of this flaw stems from improper validation and sanitization of user-supplied data within the file upload functionality. When users upload documents with specially crafted filenames containing malicious script tags or other XSS payloads, the system fails to adequately filter or escape these inputs before storing them in its database or processing them in web responses. This failure creates a persistent XSS vulnerability where the malicious code becomes embedded within the application's response content, executing whenever legitimate users access pages containing the compromised filenames. The vulnerability's persistence across user sessions occurs because the malicious content is stored server-side and retrieved during normal application operation, making it particularly dangerous for long-term exploitation.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of victim browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, or further lateral movement within the affected network. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that once a malicious filename is uploaded, it can affect any user who subsequently views or interacts with the compromised content, regardless of whether they initiated the original upload. This characteristic aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, and demonstrates how inadequate input validation can create persistent security weaknesses. The vulnerability also maps to attack techniques within the ATT&CK framework under T1566, specifically targeting credential access through malicious file uploads and T1059, which covers command and scripting interpreter usage for executing malicious code.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-42908 should focus on implementing comprehensive input sanitization and validation mechanisms for all user-supplied data, particularly filenames and other metadata associated with file uploads. Organizations should implement strict filename validation that removes or encodes potentially dangerous characters, employ proper HTML escaping for all dynamic content, and establish robust content security policies to prevent script execution. Additionally, the application should implement proper access controls to limit upload capabilities to authorized users only and maintain detailed logging of all file upload activities for security monitoring purposes. The vulnerability underscores the importance of following secure coding practices as outlined in OWASP Top Ten and the need for comprehensive input validation as specified in industry standards such as NIST SP 800-160, which emphasizes the critical nature of proper data sanitization in preventing persistent security flaws.