CVE-2024-32769 in Photo Station
Summary
by MITRE • 11/22/2024
A cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability has been reported to affect Photo Station. If exploited, the vulnerability could allow remote attackers who have gained user access to inject malicious code.
We have already fixed the vulnerability in the following version: Photo Station 6.4.3 ( 2024/07/12 ) and later
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/23/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-32769 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Synology Photo Station software that poses significant security risks to affected systems. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting weaknesses in web applications. The flaw manifests when authenticated users with access to Photo Station can manipulate input fields or parameters that are not properly sanitized before being rendered in web responses. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability could execute malicious scripts within the context of a victim's browser session, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive user data or privilege escalation within the application environment.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within Photo Station's web interface. When user-supplied data is processed and subsequently displayed without proper sanitization, malicious payloads can be injected into web pages that are then executed by other users who access those compromised pages. This type of vulnerability typically occurs in applications that dynamically generate content based on user input without adequate security controls to prevent malicious code injection. The exploitation requires an attacker to first establish user-level access to the Photo Station application, which then provides the necessary foothold to inject malicious scripts that can persist and affect other users within the same session context.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-32769 extends beyond simple script execution, as it creates potential pathways for more sophisticated attacks within the targeted environment. Once an attacker successfully injects malicious code, they could potentially steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or even perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. This vulnerability particularly affects environments where Photo Station serves as a collaborative platform for users sharing media content, as the injected scripts could compromise the integrity of shared galleries and user accounts. The attack vector aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531, which focuses on establishing persistence through web shells or malicious scripts, and T1059 which covers command and scripting interpreter usage.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement the remediation measures provided by Synology in Photo Station version 6.4.3 released on July 12, 2024, which includes proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms to prevent malicious code injection. System administrators should conduct comprehensive security assessments of all Photo Station installations to ensure proper patching and monitor for any signs of exploitation attempts. Additional mitigations include implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script injection attempts, enforcing strict content security policies to prevent unauthorized script execution, and conducting regular security audits of web applications to identify similar vulnerabilities. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against persistent threats in web-based applications.