CVE-2024-47875 is a critical vulnerability affecting Cure53's DOMPurify, which is a widely used XSS sanitizer for HTML, MathML, and SVG. The vulnerability arises from nesting-based mXSS, allowing attackers to potentially execute malicious scripts. With a CVSS score of 10, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to organizations relying on DOMPurify for input sanitization.
The urgency for defenders to act is paramount as this vulnerability can be exploited over the network with low complexity and no privileges required. Organizations should prioritize patching immediately to prevent unauthorized access and exploitation.
The vulnerability was publicly disclosed on October 11, 2024, and was patched in versions 2.5.0 and 3.1.3 of DOMPurify. Failure to update to these versions may leave applications vulnerable to attacks that could compromise user data and application integrity.
Given the critical nature of this vulnerability, it is essential for security teams to assess their use of DOMPurify and implement the necessary updates as soon as possible.
Organizations must also monitor for any signs of exploitation in their systems while ensuring that their security practices are up-to-date.
Vulnerability Details
This vulnerability allows for nesting-based mXSS in DOMPurify, a tool designed to sanitize potentially dangerous content. The vulnerability was classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
The CVSS score is a critical 10.0, indicating that it poses a significant threat due to its ease of exploitation and the potential impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The attack vector is classified as network-based with low attack complexity and no privileges or user interaction required.
The affected product is DOMPurify, developed by Cure53, which was patched in versions 2.5.0 and 3.1.3. Organizations using earlier versions should prioritize upgrades.
Technical Analysis
The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the failure to properly handle nested structures within the DOM, which allows for the injection of scripts. Attackers may leverage this flaw to execute arbitrary JavaScript within the context of the user's browser.
The attack vector is network-based, meaning that exploitation can occur remotely without needing physical access to the target system. The attack complexity is rated low, indicating that it can be exploited with minimal effort.
Importantly, no user interaction is required, which increases the risk as users may unknowingly visit a compromised page. The confidentiality impact is low, while both integrity and availability impacts are rated high, highlighting the potential for significant disruption and data compromise.
Risk & Impact Analysis
Risk to organizations includes exposure to malicious actors who can exploit this vulnerability to deliver malware or steal sensitive information. The potential for a widespread impact is significant, especially in environments where DOMPurify is extensively used for sanitizing user-generated content.
Organizations should address this vulnerability in their priority patch cycle due to the critical nature of the CVSS score and the proven exploitability. The blast radius could encompass all applications utilizing DOMPurify that have not applied the necessary patches.
Given the current landscape, with attackers constantly looking for vulnerabilities to exploit, the urgency assessment is high. Organizations must act swiftly to prevent potential breaches.
Exploitation Status
Signal | Status |
|---|---|
Known Exploit | Yes |
Public PoC | Yes |
Actively Exploited | No |
Ransomware Use | No |
Affected Versions
All versions prior to vendor patch, specifically versions earlier than 2.5.0 and between 3.0.0 and 3.1.3 are affected. Users must upgrade to the latest versions to mitigate the vulnerability.
Mitigation & Remediation
To remediate this vulnerability, organizations must upgrade to DOMPurify version 2.5.0 or 3.1.3 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, consider implementing input validation and sanitization controls as a temporary workaround.
For ongoing protection, organizations should consider engaging in regular security assessments and application security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in their systems.
Detection Guidance
Organizations should monitor their systems for unusual log entries, particularly those indicating attempts to inject scripts or unusual DOM manipulation patterns. Behavioral anomalies and network signatures related to XSS attempts should also be tracked.
AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight
The long-term significance of CVE-2024-47875 lies in its representation of the ongoing challenge of securing web applications against XSS vulnerabilities. This incident underscores the necessity for rigorous security testing and code reviews.
Security teams should take this opportunity to revisit their penetration testing methodology and enhance their defenses against similar vulnerabilities in the future.
Additionally, organizations should engage in proactive measures by adopting a vulnerability management program to systematically identify, assess, and mitigate security risks across their applications.
As such vulnerabilities continue to evolve, organizations must remain vigilant and adaptable in their security postures.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
.webp)