CVE-2023-37496 in Verse
Summary
by MITRE • 08/01/2023
HCL Verse is susceptible to a Stored Cross Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability. An attacker could execute script in a victim's web browser to perform operations as the victim and/or steal the victim's cookies, session tokens, or other sensitive information.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/23/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-37496 represents a critical stored cross site scripting flaw within HCL Verse, a collaborative platform designed for enterprise communication and document management. This vulnerability exists in the application's handling of user input data that is subsequently stored and displayed without proper sanitization or encoding mechanisms. The flaw allows malicious actors to inject persistent malicious scripts into the application's database or storage systems, which then execute whenever legitimate users access the affected content. The implications of this vulnerability extend beyond simple script execution as it fundamentally compromises the integrity of user sessions and the confidentiality of sensitive information within the platform.
The technical nature of this stored XSS vulnerability places it squarely within CWE-79, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws in software applications. This classification indicates that the application fails to properly validate and sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into dynamically generated web content. The vulnerability manifests when user data containing malicious script code is processed and stored within the application's backend systems, then later retrieved and rendered in the user interface without appropriate output encoding or sanitization. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that the malicious payload persists beyond the initial injection point, making it particularly dangerous as it can affect multiple users over extended periods without requiring repeated exploitation attempts.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-37496 extends far beyond simple data theft or session hijacking. Attackers leveraging this vulnerability can perform a wide range of malicious activities including but not limited to stealing session cookies, executing unauthorized operations as authenticated users, accessing sensitive corporate data, modifying user permissions, and conducting privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability particularly threatens enterprise environments where HCL Verse serves as a central collaboration platform, as successful exploitation could lead to complete compromise of user accounts and potential lateral movement within the organization's network infrastructure. Additionally, the persistent nature of stored XSS means that attackers can maintain access to compromised systems for extended periods, making detection and remediation more challenging.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including T1531 for Establishing Persistence and T1566 for Phishing with Malicious Attachments or Links. The attack vector typically involves initial compromise through social engineering or direct exploitation of the XSS vulnerability, followed by credential theft or privilege escalation. Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies including input validation, output encoding, content security policies, and regular security assessments to address this vulnerability. The remediation approach must involve immediate patching of affected systems, implementation of web application firewalls, and thorough auditing of user-generated content to identify and remove any existing malicious payloads that may have been previously injected into the system.