CVE-2022-4875 in fossology
Summary
by MITRE • 01/05/2023
A vulnerability has been found in fossology and classified as problematic. This vulnerability affects unknown code. The manipulation of the argument sql/VarValue leads to cross site scripting. The attack can be initiated remotely. The name of the patch is 8e0eba001662c7eb35f045b70dd458a4643b4553. It is recommended to apply a patch to fix this issue. VDB-217426 is the identifier assigned to this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/28/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-4875 represents a cross-site scripting weakness discovered in the fossology software platform, which is widely used for software license analysis and management. This security flaw resides within the application's handling of SQL variables, specifically in the sql/VarValue argument processing mechanism. The vulnerability has been classified as problematic due to its potential to allow unauthorized code execution and data manipulation within user sessions. The fossology platform serves as a critical component in software supply chain security, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations relying on automated license scanning and compliance verification processes.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through manipulation of the sql/VarValue argument, which creates a cross-site scripting vector that can be leveraged by remote attackers. This flaw allows malicious actors to inject malicious scripts into the application's response handling, potentially enabling session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized access to sensitive information. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers do not require physical access to the system or local network privileges to initiate the attack. The patch referenced as 8e0eba001662c7eb35f045b70dd458a4643b4553 specifically addresses the improper input validation and sanitization of SQL variable values, which is a fundamental security control that should prevent such injection attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can compromise the integrity of software license analysis processes that organizations depend upon for compliance and risk management. Attackers could potentially manipulate license reports, inject malicious code into the analysis pipeline, or gain unauthorized access to sensitive software inventory data. This vulnerability affects the core functionality of fossology's database interaction components, potentially undermining the trustworthiness of license compliance data. Organizations utilizing fossology for automated software composition analysis, vulnerability assessment, or regulatory compliance reporting face significant risks from this flaw, as it could enable attackers to corrupt or manipulate the very data used for critical security decisions.
Security professionals should prioritize patch application for this vulnerability, as it represents a direct threat to the integrity of software license management systems. The recommended mitigation involves applying the specific patch identified in the commit 8e0eba001662c7eb35f045b70dd458a4643b4553, which implements proper input validation and output encoding for SQL variable values. This fix aligns with established security practices for preventing cross-site scripting attacks and follows the principle of least privilege in database interactions. Organizations should also implement additional monitoring for suspicious database query patterns and consider network segmentation to limit potential attack surface. The vulnerability's classification under CWE 79 (Cross-site Scripting) and its mapping to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 (Phishing) highlights the multi-faceted nature of the threat, requiring comprehensive defensive measures. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be implemented to identify similar issues in other components of the software supply chain analysis infrastructure.