CVE-2023-28850 in Perspective Editor
Summary
by MITRE • 04/03/2023
Pimcore Perspective Editor provides an editor for Pimcore that allows users to add/remove/edit custom views and perspectives. This vulnerability has the potential to steal a user's cookie and gain unauthorized access to that user's account through the stolen cookie or redirect users to other malicious sites. Version 1.5.1 has a patch. As a workaround, one may apply the patch manually.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/21/2023
The CVE-2023-28850 vulnerability resides within the Pimcore Perspective Editor component, a feature designed to enable users to customize their interface by adding, removing, or editing custom views and perspectives. This administrative tool represents a critical point of access within the Pimcore content management platform, where users can manipulate their personal workspace configurations. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the editor's processing logic, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the system's trust model. The flaw specifically manifests when the editor handles user-provided data without proper sanitization, allowing for the injection of malicious content that can be executed within the context of a victim's browser session.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through cross-site scripting attacks that leverage the editor's functionality to inject malicious scripts into the user interface. When a victim interacts with the compromised editor, the malicious code executes within their browser context, potentially stealing session cookies or performing unauthorized actions on their behalf. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-79 which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a condition where untrusted data is processed and included in web pages without proper validation or encoding. The attack vector typically involves an attacker crafting malicious input that gets stored and subsequently rendered within the editor interface, creating a persistent XSS vulnerability that can affect any user who accesses the compromised functionality.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple cookie theft, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform session hijacking and gain full unauthorized access to user accounts. This compromises the integrity of the authentication system and allows for persistent access to sensitive data and administrative functions within the Pimcore platform. The vulnerability affects all users who have access to the Perspective Editor functionality, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple administrators or content creators interact with the system. Attackers can redirect victims to malicious sites, harvest additional credentials, or perform actions such as modifying content, deleting assets, or accessing restricted administrative features. The potential for privilege escalation exists when attackers can leverage stolen sessions to access higher-privileged accounts within the Pimcore environment.
Security mitigations for CVE-2023-28850 should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the Perspective Editor component. The recommended approach involves applying the official patch released for version 1.5.1, which addresses the root cause by properly sanitizing user inputs and ensuring that all data rendered within the editor is appropriately encoded to prevent script execution. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures including content security policy headers, regular security audits of user input handling mechanisms, and monitoring for unusual activities in the editor functionality. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques such as T1531 (Account Access Removal) and T1078 (Valid Accounts) as attackers can leverage stolen session tokens to maintain persistent access to compromised accounts. Network-level protections including web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems should be configured to monitor for patterns associated with XSS exploitation attempts, while regular security training for administrators can help prevent social engineering attacks that might lead to exploitation of this vulnerability.