CVE-2024-56525 in OJS
Summary
by MITRE • 02/25/2025
In Public Knowledge Project (PKP) OJS, OMP, and OPS before 3.3.0.21 and 3.4.x before 3.4.0.8, an XXE attack by the Journal Editor Role can create a new role as super admin in the journal context, and insert a backdoor plugin, by uploading a crafted XML document as a User XML Plugin.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/31/2025
The vulnerability CVE-2024-56525 represents a critical security flaw in the Public Knowledge Project's Open Journal Systems OJS, Open Monograph Press OMP, and Open Preprint Systems OPS platforms. This issue affects versions prior to 3.3.0.21 and 3.4.x before 3.4.0.8, where a malicious actor with the Journal Editor role can exploit an XML External Entity vulnerability to escalate privileges and establish persistent backdoor access. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation when processing XML documents uploaded through the User XML Plugin functionality, creating a pathway for privilege escalation and system compromise.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of XML parsing mechanisms within the PKP platforms. When a Journal Editor uploads a crafted XML document as a User XML Plugin, the system fails to properly sanitize or validate the XML content, allowing an attacker to inject malicious XML entities that can reference external resources. This XXE (XML External Entity) vulnerability enables the attacker to manipulate the system's role assignment mechanisms, specifically targeting the journal context to create a new super admin role. The attacker can then leverage this elevated privilege to install a backdoor plugin, effectively establishing persistent access to the system. This flaw directly maps to CWE-611 Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference, which is categorized under the OWASP Top Ten as an injection vulnerability that can lead to privilege escalation and remote code execution.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-56525 is severe and multifaceted, as it allows a relatively low-privilege user to gain super administrator privileges within the journal context. This privilege escalation capability undermines the fundamental security model of these academic publishing platforms, potentially exposing sensitive research data, user information, and system resources. The installation of a backdoor plugin creates a persistent threat vector that can remain undetected for extended periods, enabling ongoing unauthorized access to the system. The vulnerability affects the core integrity of the platform's access control mechanisms, particularly impacting the role-based access control (RBAC) model that these systems rely upon for security. This issue can compromise not only individual journal operations but also the broader academic publishing ecosystem that depends on these platforms for scholarly communication.
Organizations using affected PKP platforms should immediately implement comprehensive mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability. The primary and most effective mitigation involves upgrading to the patched versions 3.3.0.21 and 3.4.0.8, which contain proper input validation and XML parsing sanitization. Additionally, administrators should implement strict file upload restrictions and validate all XML content before processing, particularly for user-uploaded plugins. Network-level controls such as firewall rules and web application firewalls can help detect and prevent malicious XML entity references. Regular security audits should be conducted to monitor for unauthorized role modifications or plugin installations. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of principle of least privilege implementation, where Journal Editor roles should not have capabilities to escalate privileges or install system-level plugins. Organizations should also consider implementing monitoring solutions that can detect unusual role assignment patterns or plugin installation activities, as these behaviors may indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical need for robust XML security practices and proper input validation in web applications that process external data, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for XML External Entity Processing and T1078 for Valid Accounts to maintain system integrity and prevent unauthorized access.