CVE-2023-23938 in Tuleap
Summary
by MITRE • 04/20/2023
Tuleap is a Free & Source tool for end to end traceability of application and system developments. Affected versions are subject to a cross site scripting attack which can be injected in the name of a color of select box values of a tracker and then reflected in the tracker administration. Administrative privilege is required, but an attacker with tracker administration rights could use this vulnerability to force a victim to execute uncontrolled code in the context of their browser. This issue has been addressed in Tuleap Community Edition version 14.5.99.4. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this issue.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/14/2023
CVE-2023-23938 represents a cross site scripting vulnerability within the Tuleap collaborative development platform that enables attackers with tracker administration privileges to inject malicious scripts into color name fields of select box values. This vulnerability resides in the tracker administration interface where user-supplied input is reflected back to the browser without proper sanitization or encoding mechanisms. The flaw specifically affects the handling of color names associated with tracker select box values, creating an injection point that can be exploited to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of a victim's browser session. The vulnerability requires administrative access to tracker components, making it a privilege escalation concern that leverages existing administrative rights to amplify the attack surface. This issue falls under CWE-79 which categorizes cross site scripting flaws as weaknesses in input validation and output encoding. The attack vector operates through the reflection of malicious payloads in the tracker administration interface, where the victim's browser executes the injected code as if it originated from a legitimate source. The impact extends beyond simple script execution to potentially enable full browser compromise and session hijacking. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic reflected XSS pattern where the malicious input is immediately reflected back to the user without proper sanitization, creating an environment where attackers can manipulate the victim's browser behavior. Security researchers have mapped this vulnerability to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 which involves the exploitation of web application vulnerabilities through malicious input injection. The affected Tuleap Community Edition versions prior to 14.5.99.4 fail to implement adequate input validation for color name fields, creating a persistent injection point that attackers can leverage to execute arbitrary code in the victim's browser context. This vulnerability represents a critical concern for organizations relying on Tuleap for application and system development traceability, as it provides a pathway for attackers to escalate privileges and execute malicious code. The remediation requires immediate upgrade to version 14.5.99.4 or later, as no viable workarounds exist for this particular XSS implementation. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding measures across all user-supplied data fields, particularly those used in administrative interfaces where privilege escalation risks are elevated. The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure input handling in web applications and the necessity of implementing robust sanitization mechanisms to prevent reflected XSS attacks. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify similar injection points within their Tuleap installations and ensure proper access controls are maintained to limit administrative privileges to authorized personnel only.