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Cross-site Scripting (XSS) possible due to improper sanitisation of `href` attributes on `<a>` tags

High severity GitHub Reviewed Published Apr 17, 2024 in phlex-ruby/phlex • Updated Apr 19, 2024

Package

bundler phlex (RubyGems)

Affected versions

= 1.10.0
>= 1.9.0, < 1.9.2
>= 1.8.0, < 1.8.3
>= 1.7.0, < 1.7.2
>= 1.6.0, < 1.6.3
>= 1.5.0, < 1.5.3
< 1.4.2

Patched versions

1.10.1
1.9.2
1.8.3
1.7.2
1.6.3
1.5.3
1.4.2

Description

Summary

There is a potential cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability that can be exploited via maliciously crafted user data.

Our filter to detect and prevent the use of the javascript: URL scheme in the href attribute of an <a> tag could be bypassed with tab \t or newline \n characters between the characters of the protocol, e.g. java\tscript:.

Impact

If you render an <a> tag with an href attribute set to a user-provided link, that link could potentially execute JavaScript when clicked by another user.

a(href: user_profile) { "Profile" }

Mitigation

The best way to mitigate this vulnerability is to update to one of the following versions:

Workarounds

Configuring a Content Security Policy that does not allow unsafe-inline would effectively prevent this vulnerability from being exploited.

References

@joeldrapper joeldrapper published to phlex-ruby/phlex Apr 17, 2024
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Apr 17, 2024
Reviewed Apr 17, 2024
Published by the National Vulnerability Database Apr 17, 2024
Last updated Apr 19, 2024

Severity

High

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N

EPSS score

0.045%
(16th percentile)

CVE ID

CVE-2024-32463

GHSA ID

GHSA-g7xq-xv8c-h98c

Source code

Credits

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