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CVE-2023-1932: Medium Vulnerability in Red Hat Hibernate Validator

A medium-severity vulnerability has been identified in Red Hat's Hibernate Validator. This flaw can lead to HTML injection or Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks. Organizations should prioritize remediation to mitigate potential risks.

MEDIUMCVSS 6.1 · Published November 7, 2024

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A flaw was found in hibernate-validator's 'isValid' method in the org.hibernate.validator.internal.constraintvalidators.hv.SafeHtmlValidator class. This vulnerability allows the bypassing of validation by omitting the tag ending in a less-than character. Consequently, browsers may render an invalid HTML, allowing HTML injection or Cross-Site-Scripting (XSS) attacks.

The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 6.1, classifying it as medium severity. This score indicates that the risk to organizations includes potential unauthorized access and data manipulation through XSS attacks. Given its exploitability and the impact it may have on web applications, organizations should address this vulnerability promptly.

While there is no confirmed public exploit available, the nature of this vulnerability suggests that attackers may leverage it to manipulate web content or redirect users, posing significant risks to both users and the integrity of the application.

Organizations should prioritize patching immediately to safeguard against potential exploitation. Regular updates and vigilant monitoring are essential to maintain application security and mitigate risks associated with this vulnerability.

Vulnerability Details

The vulnerability in question is detailed in the CVE-2023-1932 record. It affects the hibernate-validator component within various Red Hat products, including CodeReady Studio and JBoss Enterprise Application Platform. The vulnerability was published on November 7, 2024, and has been classified under CWE-79, which refers to improper neutralization of input during web page generation ('Cross-site Scripting').

The attack vector for this vulnerability is categorized as NETWORK, with a low attack complexity, requiring no privileges and user interaction. The confidentiality and integrity impacts are rated as low, while there is no impact on availability. This assessment highlights the importance of addressing this vulnerability in a timely manner.

Technical Analysis

The root cause of this vulnerability is found in the validation logic of the hibernate-validator's 'isValid' method. The validation can be bypassed, allowing attackers to inject malicious HTML content or scripts into web pages. This flaw stems from a failure to properly handle specific HTML tag endings, leading to potential XSS vulnerabilities.

Given the low complexity of the attack, attackers can exploit this vulnerability remotely, without requiring any special privileges. While user interaction is necessary to trigger the vulnerability, it remains a significant security concern that could lead to unauthorized actions within the application.

Risk & Impact Analysis

The real-world deployment risk associated with this vulnerability is considerable. Attackers may leverage this flaw to execute malicious scripts, leading to data theft, session hijacking, or defacement of web content. The potential blast radius can vary based on how widely the affected components are utilized within an organization's infrastructure.

Organizations should assess their exposure to this vulnerability based on their usage of the affected products. Given the CVSS score of 6.1, the urgency for remediation is categorized as medium. Regular vulnerability assessments and timely patching are crucial to mitigating risks.

Exploitation Status

Signal

Status

Known Exploit

No

Public PoC

No

Actively Exploited

No

Ransomware Use

No

Affected Versions

The following versions are known to be affected by this vulnerability:

1. Red Hat CodeReady Studio 12.02. JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (all versions)3. OpenStack Platform 13.04. Single Sign-On 7.05. Hibernate Validator (versions prior to 6.2)

Mitigation & Remediation

Organizations should apply the latest patches provided by Red Hat for the affected products to address this vulnerability. If immediate patching is not feasible, consider implementing web application firewalls to filter out malicious content, and conduct thorough input validation to reject potentially harmful HTML tags.

For further assistance with security assessments, organizations may refer to penetration testing methodology to validate the effectiveness of remediation measures.

Detection Guidance

To detect potential exploitation of this vulnerability, organizations should monitor logs for any unusual patterns related to HTML rendering or script execution. Behavioral anomalies that deviate from normal user interactions may indicate an attempt to exploit the vulnerability.

AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight

The long-term significance of CVE-2023-1932 extends beyond immediate risk, as it highlights potential weaknesses in input validation mechanisms within web applications. Security teams must remain vigilant against similar patterns of vulnerabilities that could be exploited in the future.

Organizations should actively engage in a comprehensive vulnerability management program to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities proactively.

Additionally, organizations should consider implementing a rigorous penetration testing report process to ensure that all identified vulnerabilities are tracked and addressed effectively.

In conclusion, CVE-2023-1932 serves as a reminder of the importance of robust input validation practices in web applications. Organizations are encouraged to prioritize security assessments and remediation efforts to safeguard their systems.

Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.

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