CVE-2024-49038 in Copilot Studio
Summary
by MITRE • 11/26/2024
Improper neutralization of input during web page generation ('Cross-site Scripting') in Copilot Studio by an unauthorized attacker leads to elevation of privilege over a network.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/23/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-49038 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Microsoft Copilot Studio, a platform designed for building conversational AI experiences. This weakness stems from inadequate input validation during web page generation processes, creating a pathway for malicious actors to inject harmful scripts into the application's user interface. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the system fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web content, allowing attackers to exploit this gap in input handling mechanisms.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of input parameters that are subsequently processed and rendered within web pages. When Copilot Studio generates dynamic content, it does not adequately neutralize potentially malicious inputs, enabling attackers to inject script payloads that execute within the context of other users' browsers. This improper neutralization directly aligns with CWE-79, which categorizes cross-site scripting vulnerabilities as a result of insufficient input validation and output encoding. The flaw essentially allows an unauthorized attacker to craft malicious payloads that, when processed by the application, can execute arbitrary code in the victim's browser environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it enables privilege escalation over network resources through the exploitation of the XSS weakness. An attacker who successfully compromises a victim's session through this vector could potentially gain elevated privileges within the Copilot Studio environment, allowing them to access sensitive data, modify configurations, or perform actions with higher authorization levels than initially permitted. This elevation of privilege represents a significant security risk given that Copilot Studio handles sensitive conversational AI data and configuration information that may include proprietary business logic and user interactions.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1566 for social engineering through malicious input and T1071 for application layer protocols. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that Copilot Studio is designed for enterprise deployment where it may handle sensitive business information and conversational data that could be valuable to adversaries. Organizations using this platform face the risk of data exfiltration, session hijacking, and potential lateral movement within their network infrastructure through the exploitation of this XSS vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-49038 should prioritize immediate implementation of input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent script injection attempts. Organizations should implement comprehensive content security policies that restrict script execution within the application environment and ensure all user inputs undergo rigorous sanitization before processing. Additionally, regular security updates and patches from Microsoft should be prioritized to address this vulnerability, while application developers should adopt secure coding practices that prevent similar issues in future implementations. The solution requires a multi-layered approach combining proper input validation, output encoding, and network-level protections to prevent exploitation of this cross-site scripting weakness that could lead to privilege escalation and unauthorized access to network resources.