Confluence Data Center: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation
CVE-2024-21678 is a high-severity improper neutralization of input during web page generation vulnerability in Confluence Data Center from Atlassian, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.5 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. Affected Confluence Data Center versions: >= 2.7.0; >= 7.13.0; >= 7.19.0, and others listed below. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.47% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Confluence Server to 7.19.19 or 8.5.5, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Read the advisory on confluence.atlassian.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlassian | Confluence Data Center | >= 2.7.0; >= 7.13.0; >= 7.19.0; >= 7.20.0; >= 8.0.0; >= 8.1.0; >= 8.2.0; >= 8.3.0; and 4 more ranges | Not stated |
| Atlassian | Confluence Server | before 7.19.19; 7.20.0 up to, but not including, 8.5.5 | 7.19.19, 8.5.5 |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- LowLimited modification of data is possible.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 8.5 | High | NVD |
| CVSS 3.0 | 8.5 | High | CNA (atlassian.com) |
Official description
This High severity Stored XSS vulnerability was introduced in version 2.7.0 of Confluence Data Center. This Stored XSS vulnerability, with a CVSS Score of 8.5, allows an authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary HTML or JavaScript code on a victims browser which has high impact to confidentiality, low impact to integrity, no impact to availability, and requires no user interaction. Data Center Atlassian recommends that Confluence Data Center customers upgrade to the latest version. If you are unable to do so, upgrade your instance to one of the specified supported fixed versions: ||Affected versions||Fixed versions|| |from 8.7.0 to 8.7.1|8.8.0 recommended or 8.7.2| |from 8.6.0 to 8.6.1|8.8.0 recommended| |from 8.5.0 to 8.5.4 LTS|8.8.0 recommended or 8.5.5 LTS or 8.5.6 LTS| |from 8.4.0 to 8.4.5|8.8.0 recommended or 8.5.6 LTS| |from 8.3.0 to 8.3.4|8.8.0 recommended or 8.5.6 LTS| |from 8.2.0 to 8.2.3|8.8.0 recommended or 8.5.6 LTS| |from 8.1.0 to 8.1.4|8.8.0 recommended or 8.5.6 LTS| |from 8.0.0 to 8.0.4|8.8.0 recommended or 8.5.6 LTS| |from 7.20.0 to 7.20.3|8.8.0 recommended or 8.5.6 LTS| |from 7.19.0 to 7.19.17 LTS|8.8.0 recommended or 8.5.6 LTS or 7.19.18 LTS or 7.19.19 LTS| |from 7.18.0 to 7.18.3|8.8.0 recommended or 8.5.6 LTS or 7.19.19 LTS| |from 7.17.0 to 7.17.5|8.8.0 recommended or 8.5.6 LTS or 7.19.19 LTS| |Any earlier versions|8.8.0 recommended or 8.5.6 LTS or 7.19.19 LTS| Server Atlassian recommends that Confluence Server customers upgrade to the latest 8.5.x LTS version. If you are unable to do so, upgrade your instance to one of the specified supported fixed versions: ||Affected versions||Fixed versions|| |from 8.5.0 to 8.5.4 LTS|8.5.5 LTS or 8.5.6 LTS recommended | |from 8.4.0 to 8.4.5|8.5.6 LTS recommended| |from 8.3.0 to 8.3.4|8.5.6 LTS recommended| |from 8.2.0 to 8.2.3|8.5.6 LTS recommended| |from 8.1.0 to 8.1.4|8.5.6 LTS recommended| |from 8.0.0 to 8.0.4|8.5.6 LTS recommended| |from 7.20.0 to 7.20.3|8.5.6 LTS recommended| |from 7.19.0 to 7.19.17 LTS|8.5.6 LTS recommended or 7.19.18 LTS or 7.19.19 LTS| |from 7.18.0 to 7.18.3|8.5.6 LTS recommended or 7.19.19 LTS| |from 7.17.0 to 7.17.5|8.5.6 LTS recommended or 7.19.19 LTS| |Any earlier versions|8.5.6 LTS recommended or 7.19.19 LTS| See the release notes ([https://confluence.atlassian.com/doc/confluence-release-notes-327.html]). You can download the latest version of Confluence Data Center from the download center ([https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence/download-archives]). This vulnerability was reported via our Bug Bounty program.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation
The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. Examples of libraries and frameworks that make it easier to generate properly encoded output include Microsoft's Anti-XSS library, the OWASP ESAPI Encoding module, and Apache Wicket.
- Understand all the potential areas where untrusted inputs can enter your software: parameters or arguments, cookies, anything read from the network, environment variables, reverse DNS lookups, query results, request headers, URL components, e-mail, files, filenames, databases, and any external systems that provide data to the application. Remember that such inputs may be obtained indirectly through API calls.
- For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.
More Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation vulnerabilities (CWE-79)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Advisories
Other vulnerabilities in Confluence Data Center
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 9.3 Critical severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
Recent Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation vulnerabilities
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 9.3 Critical severity
- 7.6 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
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