CVE-2022-4690 in memos
Summary
by MITRE • 12/23/2022
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - Stored in GitHub repository usememos/memos prior to 0.9.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/23/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-4690 represents a stored cross-site scripting flaw within the usememos/memos repository prior to version 0.9.0. This repository hosts a note-taking application that allows users to create and store memos with rich text content, making it susceptible to malicious input injection attacks. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms within the application's memo creation and display functionalities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when users submit memo content containing malicious script payloads that are then stored in the application's database. When other users view these memos, the stored scripts execute in their browser context, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of the victim. The flaw specifically manifests in the application's handling of user-generated content that is rendered without proper HTML escaping or content security policy enforcement. This allows attackers to inject malicious javascript code that persists across user sessions and can be triggered whenever the affected memo content is accessed.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on the memos application for internal communication and documentation. The stored nature of the XSS attack means that a single compromised memo can affect multiple users over time, making it particularly dangerous in collaborative environments. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability to steal user sessions, redirect victims to phishing sites, or inject malware delivery mechanisms. The impact extends beyond individual user compromise to potential data exfiltration and unauthorized access to sensitive information stored within the memos system.
Security professionals should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies including immediate patching to version 0.9.0 or later where the vulnerability has been addressed. Input validation and output encoding mechanisms must be strengthened to sanitize all user-provided content before storage and rendering. The application should enforce strict content security policies to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts. Additionally, regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in the application's data handling processes. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a common vector in the ATT&CK framework under the technique of web application attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious input patterns to detect potential exploitation attempts.