CVE-2023-29044 in OX App Suite
Summary
by MITRE • 11/02/2023
Documents operations could be manipulated to contain invalid data types, possibly script code. Script code could be injected to an operation that would be executed for users that are actively collaborating on the same document. Operation data exchanged between collaborating parties does now get escaped to avoid code execution. No publicly available exploits are known.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/30/2023
This vulnerability represents a critical server-side request forgery and cross-site scripting risk in collaborative document processing systems where real-time collaboration features are implemented. The flaw exists in how the system handles data type validation and sanitization during document operation exchanges between multiple users. When users collaborate on shared documents, their operations are transmitted between clients and servers in a manner that fails to properly escape or validate data types, creating potential injection vectors for malicious code execution.
The technical implementation flaw stems from inadequate input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms within the collaborative document processing pipeline. Specifically, when operations are serialized and transmitted between collaborating parties, the system does not sufficiently validate or escape data types that could contain executable code. This vulnerability manifests when operation data contains script code that gets executed in the context of other collaborating users who are actively viewing or editing the same document. The issue is particularly dangerous because it operates within the trusted collaboration environment where users expect secure communication between participants.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a significant attack surface for malicious actors who can manipulate document operations to inject harmful scripts that execute automatically for all collaborators. The risk extends beyond simple data corruption as the injected code can potentially access user sessions, steal sensitive information, or perform unauthorized actions within the document collaboration environment. This represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and trust within collaborative systems, as users may unknowingly execute malicious code that was injected by a single compromised collaborator.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 Cross-Site Scripting and CWE-89 SQL Injection categories, representing a classic injection flaw that operates in a collaborative document processing context. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this maps to T1566 Initial Access through malicious document content and T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter for executing injected code. The lack of publicly available exploits does not diminish the severity, as the conditions for exploitation are relatively straightforward given the nature of collaborative document systems where users trust content from other participants.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output escaping mechanisms throughout the document operation pipeline. All operation data must be properly sanitized before transmission and execution, with special attention to escaping HTML and script characters in collaborative contexts. Implementing Content Security Policy headers, using secure coding practices for data serialization, and establishing proper data type validation at multiple layers of the system can significantly reduce the attack surface. Additionally, regular security audits of collaborative features and implementing privilege separation between different document operation types can help prevent exploitation of this vulnerability.