CVE-2024-38859 in Checkmk
Summary
by MITRE • 08/26/2024
XSS in the view page with the SLA column configured in Checkmk versions prior to 2.3.0p14, 2.2.0p33, 2.1.0p47 and 2.0.0 (EOL) allowed malicious users to execute arbitrary scripts by injecting HTML elements into the SLA column title. These scripts could be executed when the view page was cloned by other users.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/03/2024
This vulnerability represents a cross-site scripting flaw that exists within the Checkmk monitoring platform's view page functionality. The issue specifically affects the SLA column configuration where user-supplied input is not properly sanitized before being rendered in the web interface. The vulnerability stems from the application's failure to validate and escape HTML characters in the SLA column title field, creating an opportunity for malicious actors to inject persistent script code. When other users view pages containing the compromised SLA column, the injected scripts execute within their browser context, potentially compromising their sessions and system access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which defines cross-site scripting as a weakness where untrusted data is sent to a web browser without proper validation or sanitization. The flaw manifests when administrators configure SLA columns with malicious input in the title field, which then gets stored in the application's database or configuration files. When the affected view page is accessed by other users, particularly those with elevated privileges, the stored malicious script executes in their browser environment. This creates a persistent threat that can be exploited across multiple users who access the compromised view page, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user monitoring environments where administrators frequently share views and dashboards.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive monitoring data, and potentially escalate privileges within the Checkmk environment. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it leverages the cloning functionality of the platform, meaning that once an attacker successfully injects malicious code into a view, any user who clones that view becomes vulnerable to the attack. This creates a propagation mechanism that can rapidly spread the malicious payload throughout an organization's monitoring infrastructure. The vulnerability affects multiple major versions of Checkmk including 2.3.0p13 and earlier, 2.2.0p32 and earlier, 2.1.0p46 and earlier, and the end-of-life 2.0.0 version, indicating this was a significant flaw that persisted across several release lines.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the latest patches available for Checkmk versions 2.3.0p14, 2.2.0p33, 2.1.0p47, and if possible, upgrade to the latest supported versions. The mitigation strategy should also include implementing proper input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied data, particularly in fields that are rendered in web interfaces. Security teams should conduct thorough audits of existing views and configurations to identify any potentially compromised SLA columns, while also implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script injection attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of least privilege access controls within monitoring platforms, as attackers who can modify view configurations gain significant leverage in executing attacks against other users within the same monitoring environment.
This vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly innocuous configuration fields can become attack vectors when proper sanitization measures are not implemented. The attack pattern follows typical XSS exploitation methods where the attacker first injects malicious code into a trusted application interface, then waits for other users to access the compromised content. The use of the cloning functionality as a propagation mechanism makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous in collaborative environments where administrators frequently share monitoring views and dashboards. Organizations should also consider implementing security awareness training for system administrators to recognize potential injection attempts and establish proper code review processes for configuration changes that affect web-rendered content. The vulnerability serves as a reminder that all user input should be treated as potentially malicious and that proper security controls should be implemented at multiple layers of the application architecture to prevent such issues from occurring in production environments.