CVE-2023-6364 in WhatsUp Gold
Summary
by MITRE • 12/14/2023
In WhatsUp Gold versions released before 2023.1, a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability has been identified. It is possible for an attacker to craft a XSS payload and store that value within a dashboard component.
If a WhatsUp Gold user interacts with the crafted payload, the attacker would be able to execute malicious JavaScript within the context of the victims browser.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/14/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-6364 represents a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw in WhatsUp Gold software versions prior to 2023.1. This type of vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-079, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting conditions where untrusted data is improperly integrated into web pages without proper validation or encoding. The flaw exists within the dashboard component functionality of the network monitoring solution, creating a persistent security risk that can affect all users who interact with compromised dashboard elements.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code through the dashboard component interface. When a victim user views a dashboard containing the malicious payload, the stored script executes within the user's browser context, potentially enabling the attacker to perform actions on behalf of the victim. This stored XSS condition is particularly dangerous because the malicious code persists in the application's database or storage system, making it effective against multiple users who access the compromised dashboard components. The vulnerability exploits the lack of proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms that should prevent untrusted data from being rendered as executable code.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the ability to establish persistent access to victim environments. According to MITRE ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to technique T1059.007 for command and control through scripting and T1566.001 for social engineering via spearphishing. The compromised dashboard components could enable attackers to steal session cookies, capture user credentials, perform unauthorized actions within the WhatsUp Gold application, or even establish additional persistence mechanisms. Given that WhatsUp Gold is a network monitoring solution, successful exploitation could provide attackers with visibility into network traffic and potentially lead to further lateral movement within the network infrastructure.
Organizations utilizing affected WhatsUp Gold versions should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the 2023.1 release or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the stored XSS vulnerability. Additionally, administrators should review dashboard component configurations to limit user input capabilities and implement proper input validation controls. Network segmentation and monitoring of dashboard access patterns can help detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of regular security updates and proper input validation practices, particularly in enterprise monitoring solutions where dashboard components are frequently accessed by multiple users with varying privilege levels. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls to provide additional protection against similar XSS attack vectors in other components of the application stack.