CVE-2023-0107 in memos
Summary
by MITRE • 01/07/2023
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - Stored in GitHub repository usememos/memos prior to 0.10.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/05/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-0107 represents a stored cross-site scripting flaw within the usememos/memos GitHub repository prior to version 0.10.0. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting attacks where malicious scripts are injected into web applications and then executed in the context of other users' browsers. The issue manifests in a stored XSS scenario rather than a reflected one, meaning that the malicious payload is permanently stored on the server and subsequently delivered to users when they access the affected application.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization mechanisms within the memos application's web interface. When users submit content through the application's note-taking functionality, the system fails to properly sanitize user-provided data before storing it in the database. This allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code through various input fields including note titles, content fields, and potentially metadata. The stored payload executes whenever other users view the affected content, making this a particularly dangerous vulnerability as it can affect multiple victims over time without requiring repeated exploitation attempts.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-0107 extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it provides attackers with the ability to establish persistent access to user sessions and potentially escalate privileges within the application. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, modify content displayed to other users, or even execute arbitrary commands on the server if the application architecture permits such escalation. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that once exploited, the malicious code remains active until manually removed from the database, creating a persistent threat vector that can be exploited repeatedly by different users.
Organizations utilizing memos version 0.10.0 or earlier should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the patched version 0.10.0 or later, which contains proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. Additionally, administrators should implement Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution capabilities, conduct thorough input validation on all user-submitted content, and consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script injection attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1566 - Phishing and T1059 - Command and Scripting Interpreter, highlighting the potential for attackers to use this vulnerability as part of broader attack chains involving social engineering and persistent access establishment. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar input validation weaknesses in other application components, as this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing defense-in-depth strategies for web application security.