CVE-2025-41047 in CMF
Summary
by MITRE • 09/04/2025
A vulnerability has been discovered in appRain CMF version 4.0.5, consisting of a stored authenticated XSS due to a lack of proper validation of user input, through the 'data[Addon][layouts]' and 'data[Addon][layouts_except]' parameters in /apprain/developer/addons/update/ace.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/05/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw in appRain CMF version 4.0.5 that stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the application's administrative interface. The issue manifests specifically through the 'data[Addon][layouts]' and 'data[Addon][layouts_except]' parameters which are processed within the /apprain/developer/addons/update/ace endpoint. Attackers with authenticated access to the administrative panel can exploit this weakness by injecting malicious javascript code through these parameters, which then gets stored within the application's database and executed whenever the affected pages are rendered to other users.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows the established patterns of stored XSS attacks as classified under CWE-79, where malicious input is first stored by the application and then served to other users without proper sanitization or encoding. The vulnerability occurs because the application fails to implement adequate input validation and output encoding for user-supplied data that is intended to be persisted in the system. This particular flaw affects the administrative functionality of the content management framework, making it particularly dangerous as it could allow attackers to escalate privileges or compromise the entire application environment.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations using appRain CMF version 4.0.5 as it allows authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary javascript code within the context of other users' browsers. The impact extends beyond simple data theft, as attackers could potentially perform actions such as stealing session cookies, modifying application data, or redirecting users to malicious sites. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that once exploited, the malicious code remains persistent until manually removed from the database, potentially affecting all users who access the compromised application features.
The attack vector requires an authenticated user with sufficient privileges to access the administrative panel, which aligns with the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and persistence tactics. This vulnerability could be leveraged as part of a broader attack chain where initial access is gained through other means, and then this stored XSS vulnerability is used to maintain access or escalate privileges within the application environment. Organizations should consider implementing proper input validation, output encoding, and parameterized queries to address this vulnerability. The recommended mitigation includes upgrading to a patched version of appRain CMF, implementing proper input sanitization for all user-supplied data, and conducting thorough security testing of all administrative interfaces to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future development cycles.