CVE-2024-27095 in Decidim
Summary
by MITRE • 07/10/2024
Decidim is a participatory democracy framework. The admin panel is subject to potential XSS attach in case the attacker manages to modify some records being uploaded to the server. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.27.6 and 0.28.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/19/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-27095 affects Decidim, a participatory democracy framework designed to facilitate democratic processes through digital platforms. This framework enables organizations to conduct public consultations, participatory budgeting, and other democratic engagement activities online. The security flaw resides within the admin panel functionality, specifically in how the system handles record uploads and data processing. The vulnerability represents a significant concern for organizations relying on Decidim for sensitive democratic processes, as it could potentially compromise the integrity and confidentiality of participatory governance activities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization within the admin panel's record handling mechanisms. When administrators upload records to the server, the system fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it in the web interface. This creates an opportunity for cross-site scripting attacks where malicious actors could inject malicious scripts into the system. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires only successful record modification by an attacker, which could occur through various attack vectors including compromised administrative credentials, insufficient access controls, or other related vulnerabilities in the platform's authentication and authorization mechanisms. The flaw aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities in web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, potentially allowing attackers to escalate privileges, access sensitive administrative functions, or steal session cookies from authenticated users. In the context of a participatory democracy framework, this could compromise the entire democratic process by enabling unauthorized modifications to public records, manipulation of voting results, or complete takeover of administrative functions. The vulnerability affects organizations using Decidim versions prior to 0.27.6 and 0.28.1, making it critical for administrators to assess their current deployment status and implement immediate remediation measures. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to undermine public trust in the democratic process, particularly in contexts where Decidim is used for high-stakes participatory budgeting or policy development initiatives.
Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of their Decidim installations to versions 0.27.6 or 0.28.1 where the vulnerability has been addressed. System administrators should also implement additional security measures including enhanced monitoring of record upload activities, implementation of web application firewalls, and regular security assessments of the admin panel functionality. The remediation process should include thorough testing of the patched environment to ensure that the XSS mitigation does not introduce regressions in legitimate administrative functions. Security teams should also consider implementing principle of least privilege controls for administrative access and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing potential XSS exploitation in participatory democracy platforms. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of securing administrative interfaces in collaborative platforms where public trust and data integrity are paramount considerations.