CVE-2025-24909 in Pentaho Business Analytics Server
Summary
by MITRE • 04/17/2025
Overview
The software does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralize user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. (CWE-79)
Description
Hitachi Vantara Pentaho Business Analytics Server prior to versions 10.2.0.2, including 9.3.x and 8.3.x, allow a malicious URL to inject content into the Analyzer plugin interface.
Impact
Once the malicious script is injected, the attacker can perform a variety of malicious activities. The attacker could transfer private information, such as cookies that may include session information, from the victim's machine to the attacker. The attacker could send malicious requests to a web site on behalf of the victim, which could be especially dangerous to the site if the victim has administrator privileges to manage that site.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/17/2025
This vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw that enables attackers to inject malicious scripts into web applications serving content to other users. The issue stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the Hitachi Vantara Pentaho Business Analytics Server platform. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting conditions where untrusted data is incorporated into web pages without proper sanitization or encoding. The affected versions include multiple release branches spanning from 8.3.x through 9.3.x, with the issue persisting until version 10.2.0.2 receives the necessary patch. This represents a significant security gap in web application security where user-controllable input flows directly into HTML output without appropriate neutralization measures.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to manipulate the Analyzer plugin interface through specially crafted malicious URLs. When the application processes these URLs, it fails to properly sanitize or encode the input before rendering it within the web page context. This creates an environment where JavaScript code can be executed within the victim's browser session, effectively bypassing the same-origin policy that normally protects web applications. The attack vector specifically targets the Analyzer plugin, which suggests that the vulnerability exists within the plugin's handling of URL parameters or user input fields that are subsequently rendered in the user interface. The impact extends beyond simple script execution to include session hijacking capabilities, as demonstrated by the ability to transfer cookies containing session information to attackers.
The operational consequences of this vulnerability are severe and multi-layered from a cybersecurity perspective. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can establish persistent access to victim sessions, potentially escalating privileges and gaining administrative control over the affected systems. The ability to perform actions on behalf of victims represents a critical risk to business analytics platforms where administrative users may have elevated permissions. This capability enables attackers to exfiltrate sensitive business intelligence data, manipulate analytics reports, and potentially compromise entire enterprise data repositories. The session hijacking aspect particularly threatens organizations that rely on pentaho analytics for business-critical decision making, as attackers could alter or corrupt data while maintaining stealthy access. The vulnerability also aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including T1566 for social engineering via malicious links and T1071 for application layer protocol usage, making it a particularly dangerous threat vector for enterprise environments.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms across all user-controllable data flows. Organizations should immediately upgrade to patched versions of the Pentaho Business Analytics Server, specifically versions 10.2.0.2 or later, to address the root cause of the vulnerability. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional defense-in-depth measures to prevent unauthorized script execution. Regular security testing including dynamic application security testing and manual penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the analytics platform. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous URL patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to OWASP Top Ten security guidelines, particularly those addressing input validation and output encoding. Organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls and application security monitoring solutions to detect and prevent exploitation attempts in real-time.