CVE-2022-4866 in memos
Summary
by MITRE • 12/31/2022
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - Stored in GitHub repository usememos/memos prior to 0.9.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/26/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-4866 represents a stored cross-site scripting flaw within the usememos/memos GitHub repository that affected versions prior to 0.9.1. This issue resides in the application's handling of user-supplied input that gets persisted and later rendered without proper sanitization or encoding mechanisms. The vulnerability allows malicious actors to inject malicious scripts into the application's database through legitimate user input channels, which then execute in the context of other users' browsers when they view the affected content. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-site Scripting, specifically classified as stored XSS where the malicious payload is permanently stored on the server and executed whenever the compromised data is retrieved and displayed. The vulnerability impacts the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the application by potentially enabling unauthorized access to user sessions, data exfiltration, and malicious code execution within the victim's browser environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding practices within the memos application's data processing pipeline. When users submit content through the application's interface, the system fails to properly sanitize or escape special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that once malicious input is accepted and saved to the database, it remains persistent and automatically executed whenever other users access the affected content. This flaw particularly affects the application's memo creation and editing functionality where users can input rich text content, comments, or any user-generated data that gets rendered back to other users. The vulnerability is exploitable through various attack vectors including direct input submission, API endpoints, and potentially through file upload mechanisms that store user content.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-4866 extends beyond simple data corruption or display issues, as it creates a persistent threat vector that can be leveraged for session hijacking, credential theft, and data manipulation. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that exploit the stored XSS vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or inject additional malicious code that persists across user sessions. The vulnerability creates a significant risk for organizations relying on the memos application for collaborative workspaces, note-taking, or documentation management, as compromised user sessions could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 for Access Token Manipulation and T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, as it enables attackers to execute malicious code within user contexts and potentially escalate privileges through session theft.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-4866 should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's data handling pipeline. The primary remediation involves updating the application to version 0.9.1 or later where the vulnerability has been addressed through proper sanitization of user input and implementation of context-appropriate output encoding. Organizations should also implement Content Security Policy headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts, enforce strict input validation on all user-supplied data, and implement proper escape sequences for HTML and JavaScript content. Additionally, regular security code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other input handling mechanisms, and the application should be configured to use secure default settings that prevent script execution in contexts where it is not explicitly required. The fix should incorporate proper sanitization libraries and ensure that all user-generated content is properly escaped before being stored or rendered to prevent the exploitation of similar stored XSS vulnerabilities in the future.