CVE-2024-12211 in Pega Infinity
Summary
by MITRE • 01/13/2025
Pega Platform versions 8.1 to Infinity 24.2.0 are affected by an Stored XSS issue with profile.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/27/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-12211 represents a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw within Pega Platform versions ranging from 8.1 through Infinity 24.2.0. This issue specifically affects user profile functionality and allows attackers to inject malicious scripts that persist in the application's database. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms when processing user profile data, creating an attack surface where malicious code can be stored and subsequently executed in the context of other users' browsers. The flaw operates by accepting unfiltered user input through profile fields that are then rendered without proper sanitization, enabling attackers to craft payloads that exploit the trust relationship between the application and its users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting flaws as weaknesses in web applications that allow attackers to inject client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that malicious scripts are permanently saved within the application's data stores rather than being executed only during a single request. This persistent characteristic significantly amplifies the attack impact as the malicious code can affect multiple users over extended periods. The vulnerability specifically targets profile management interfaces where users can input personal information, preferences, and other customizable data elements that are subsequently displayed to other users or administrators within the platform's user interface.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses severe risks to organizations utilizing Pega Platform as it can enable attackers to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive information, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of victims, and potentially escalate privileges within the application. The attack vector typically involves an attacker creating a malicious profile entry containing embedded script code that gets executed when other users view the compromised profile. This could lead to credential theft, data exfiltration, and complete compromise of user accounts within the Pega environment. The vulnerability also provides potential for privilege escalation attacks where attackers might manipulate profile data to gain access to administrative functions or sensitive system information.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including enhanced input validation and output encoding mechanisms for all user profile fields, regular security scanning of profile data for malicious content, and implementation of web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script patterns. The recommended remediation strategy involves applying the latest security patches provided by Pega, implementing strict content security policies, and conducting comprehensive security testing of profile management interfaces. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing user input sanitization at multiple layers including application-level validation, database-level filtering, and network-level monitoring to prevent exploitation. The mitigation approach should align with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers social engineering tactics that often leverage stored XSS vulnerabilities to establish initial access points. Regular security awareness training for administrators and developers is also crucial to prevent introduction of vulnerable code patterns into the application architecture.