CVE-2023-21570 in Dynamics 365
Summary
by MITRE • 02/14/2023
Microsoft Dynamics 365 (on-premises) Cross-site Scripting Vulnerability
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/15/2023
Microsoft Dynamics 365 on-premises installations contain a cross-site scripting vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web applications. This vulnerability resides within the application's input validation mechanisms and affects the user interface components that process untrusted data. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of a victim's browser session, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data and system compromise. The vulnerability specifically impacts the way the application handles user-supplied input in web forms and dynamic content rendering processes, creating opportunities for attackers to exploit the weakness through crafted malicious payloads. According to CWE-79, this represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw where the application fails to properly sanitize or encode user input before rendering it in web pages, making it susceptible to script injection attacks.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to deliver malicious input through web forms or API endpoints that are processed by the Dynamics 365 application. The attack typically involves crafting specially formatted data that includes script tags or other malicious code which gets executed when the application displays the content to authenticated users. The vulnerability affects various components including but not limited to entity forms, dashboards, and custom web resources within the Dynamics 365 environment. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform session hijacking, steal authentication tokens, redirect users to malicious websites, or extract sensitive information from the application's database through the compromised user sessions. The impact is particularly severe in enterprise environments where Dynamics 365 serves as a central business application handling sensitive customer and financial data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution to encompass potential data breaches, unauthorized system access, and business disruption. Organizations running on-premises Dynamics 365 deployments face significant risk of credential theft and unauthorized access to customer records, financial data, and business-critical information. The attack surface is broad as the vulnerability affects multiple user interaction points within the application, making it difficult to completely isolate and protect against. Security teams must consider the potential for lateral movement within the network if attackers use this vulnerability to establish initial access and then escalate privileges. The compromise of Dynamics 365 systems can lead to regulatory compliance violations, financial losses, and damage to customer trust. This vulnerability aligns with attack patterns described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1566 technique for initial access through spearphishing and T1071 for application layer protocol usage. Organizations may face challenges in detecting such attacks as malicious scripts can be designed to appear legitimate and blend with normal application behavior.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate patching of affected systems, implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms, and deploying web application firewalls to filter malicious requests. Organizations should enforce strict content security policies and implement proper sanitization of user input across all application interfaces. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify potential injection points and validate the effectiveness of implemented controls. The security architecture should include monitoring for suspicious script patterns and anomalous user behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, implementing multi-factor authentication and least privilege access controls can reduce the potential damage from successful exploitation attempts. Security teams should also establish incident response procedures specifically tailored to address cross-site scripting vulnerabilities in enterprise applications, ensuring rapid detection and remediation of any exploitation attempts.