CVE-2021-27915: Mautic/core Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-2rc5-2755-v422
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CVSS 7.6
CWE-80 CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-27915 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.6) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-80: Improper Neutralization of Script-Related HTML Tags in a Web Page (Basic XSS)) affecting Mautic/core libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves mautic vulnerable to stored cross-site scripting in description field. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.4.12.

CVE-2021-27915 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-27915
GHSA Identifier GHSA-2rc5-2755-v422
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.6
CWE Classification CWE-80: Improper Neutralization of Script-Related HTML Tags in a Web Page (Basic XSS)
Affected Product Mautic/core
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.6

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2021-27915

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Mautic/core dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

mautic/core fixed: 4.4.12 
Upgrade mautic/core to 4.4.12
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for mautic/core

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2021-27915, inspect your project dependencies for Mautic/core:

inspect dependencies for mautic/core

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Mautic/core in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.4.12), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-80: Improper Neutralization of Script-Related HTML Tags in a Web Page (Basic XSS), where the product receives input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special characters such as "<", ">", and "&" that could be interpreted as web-scripting elements when they are sent to a downstream component that processes web pages. In Mautic/core, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Impact Prior to the patched version, there is an XSS vulnerability in the description fields within the Mautic application which could be exploited by a logged in user of Mautic with the appropriate permissions. This could lead to the user having elevated access to the system. ### Patches Update to 4.4.12 ### Workarounds None ### References - https://owasp.org/www-project-top-ten/2017/A7_2017-Cross-Site_Scripting_(XSS) - https://owasp.org/www-project-web-security-testing-guide/latest/4-Web_Application_Security_Testing/07-Input_Validation_Testing/02-Testing_for_Stored_Cross_Site_Scripting If you have any questions or comments about this advisory: Email us at [security@mautic.org](mailto:security@mautic.org)

CVE-2021-27915 Affected Mautic/core Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.4.12
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
mautic/core
 Packagist
≥ 1.0.0-beta2
< 4.4.12
4.4.12

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/mautic/mautic/security/advisories/GHSA-2rc5-2755-v422
NVD — CVE-2021-27915 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-27915
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/mautic/mautic/commit/2d648394e183b1d2d910cea32e89d40a5915b5d4
Mautic/core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mautic/mautic

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-27915?
CVE-2021-27915 is a security vulnerability in Mautic/core involving Mautic vulnerable to stored cross-site scripting in description field under CWE-80: Improper Neutralization of Script-Related HTML Tags in a Web Page (Basic XSS).
Which Mautic/core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.4.12 across affected packages: mautic/core.
What version fixes CVE-2021-27915?
Upgrading to 4.4.12 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is mautic/core affected?
Yes, mautic/core is affected in releases prior to 4.4.12. Upgrade your dependency to 4.4.12 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-27915?
CVE-2021-27915 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.6 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-27915?
CVE-2021-27915 is classified under CWE-80: Improper Neutralization of Script-Related HTML Tags in a Web Page (Basic XSS) (The product receives input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special characters such as "<", ">", and "&" that could be interpreted as web-scripting elements when they are sent to a downstream component that processes web pages.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2021-27915?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for mautic/core'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-2rc5-2755-v422",
  "modified" : "2024-09-30T13:44:34Z",
  "published" : "2024-04-11T21:36:29Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-27915" ],
  "summary" : "Mautic vulnerable to stored cross-site scripting in description field",
  "details" : "### Impact\nPrior to the patched version, there is an XSS vulnerability in the description fields within the Mautic application which could be exploited by a logged in user of Mautic with the appropriate permissions.\n\nThis could lead to the user having elevated access to the system.\n\n### Patches\nUpdate to 4.4.12\n\n### Workarounds\nNone\n\n### References\n- https://owasp.org/www-project-top-ten/2017/A7_2017-Cross-Site_Scripting_(XSS)\n- https://owasp.org/www-project-web-security-testing-guide/latest/4-Web_Application_Security_Testing/07-Input_Validation_Testing/02-Testing_for_Stored_Cross_Site_Scripting\n\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory:\n\nEmail us at [security@mautic.org](mailto:security@mautic.org)",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "mautic/core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.0.0-beta2"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.4.12"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mautic/mautic/security/advisories/GHSA-2rc5-2755-v422"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-27915"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mautic/mautic/commit/2d648394e183b1d2d910cea32e89d40a5915b5d4"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mautic/mautic"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79", "CWE-80" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-04-11T21:36:29Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2024-09-17T14:15:14Z"
  }
}