CVE-2022-44724 in Handy Macros for Confluence Server and Data Center
Summary
by MITRE • 11/04/2022
The Handy Tip macro in Stiltsoft Handy Macros for Confluence Server/Data Center 3.x before 3.5.5 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript via a Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/03/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-44724 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Stiltsoft Handy Macros for Confluence Server and Data Center versions 3.x prior to 3.5.5. This issue specifically affects the Handy Tip macro functionality, which is designed to provide users with helpful tips and guidance within Confluence environments. The vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the macro processing engine, creating an attack vector that allows remote adversaries to inject malicious content into the application's user interface.
The technical exploitation of this XSS vulnerability occurs when the Handy Tip macro fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before rendering it within the web interface. Attackers can craft malicious payloads containing HTML or JavaScript code that gets executed in the context of other users' browsers who view the affected macro content. This flaw falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically representing a stored XSS attack vector where malicious code persists in the application's database and executes whenever the affected content is rendered. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Confluence serves as a central collaboration platform for sensitive business information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to escalate privileges, steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of users, and potentially access confidential data within the Confluence environment. In a typical enterprise scenario, this could lead to data breaches, privilege escalation, and unauthorized access to sensitive corporate documentation. The attack surface is broad since Confluence servers often contain critical business information, user credentials, and internal communication channels that could be compromised through successful exploitation. Organizations using the affected macro versions face significant risk of persistent security breaches that could affect multiple users simultaneously.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-44724 should prioritize immediate patching to version 3.5.5 or later, which includes proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should also implement additional security controls such as content security policy headers, regular security scanning of Confluence instances, and user access controls to limit macro creation privileges. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which focuses on Establishing Persistence through Macros, and organizations should consider implementing network monitoring to detect anomalous macro usage patterns. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments of their Confluence environments to identify other potentially affected macros or plugins, and establish incident response procedures to address potential exploitation attempts.