CVE-2022-43167: Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerability in Rukovoditel v3.2.1 Users Alerts Feature

A recent vulnerability identified in Rukovoditel v3.2.1, an open-source project management application, has raised concerns among organizations using the software. The vulnerability, assigned CVE-2022-43167, involves a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) flaw in the Users Alerts feature. This post will explore the details of this vulnerability, how it can be exploited, and the potential risks to users.

Vulnerability Details

In Rukovoditel v3.2.1, a stored XSS vulnerability has been found in the Users Alerts feature (located at /index.php?module=users_alerts/users_alerts). The vulnerability allows authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML using a specially crafted payload, which they can inject into the Title parameter after clicking "Add".

The issue occurs due to insufficient input validation and output encoding on the Title parameter, allowing an attacker to inject malicious scripts or HTML content that will be executed when the affected web page is loaded by a user.

A sample malicious payload for this vulnerability could look like this

<script>alert('XSS Attack!');</script>

When an attacker injects this payload into the Title parameter and a user opens the affected web page, the JavaScript code will execute, displaying an alert for "XSS Attack!".

Exploit Details

Exploiting this vulnerability requires the attacker to have authenticated access to the Rukovoditel application. However, once the attacker has gained access, they can carry out an XSS attack by injecting malicious payloads into the Title parameter of the Users Alerts feature.

The potential consequences of a successful exploit include

1. Theft of sensitive user information: An attacker could use the XSS vulnerability to steal session cookies or other sensitive data from the affected users.
2. Redirection to phishing or malicious websites: The attacker could redirect users to phishing websites or sites hosting malware.
3. Remote code execution: Depending on the payload, the attacker might be able to execute arbitrary code or commands on the affected user's browser or system.

The following resources provide more information about this vulnerability

- CVE-2022-43167 - National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
- Rukovoditel GitHub Repository

To protect your organization from this vulnerability, you should

1. Update your Rukovoditel installation to the latest available version (if a patch has been released to address this issue).
2. Implement input validation and output encoding on all user-supplied data to prevent the injection of malicious scripts.
3. Restrict access to the Rukovoditel application by limiting the number of users and implementing strong authentication methods.

Conclusion

CVE-2022-43167 highlights the importance of keeping software updated and implementing proper input validation and output encoding in web applications. Organizations using Rukovoditel v3.2.1 should take the necessary steps to mitigate and remediate the vulnerability to prevent potential attacks.

Timeline

Published on: 10/28/2022 17:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/01/2022 17:33:00 UTC