CVE-2019-16172: Limesurvey/limesurvey Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-fr47-r224-c36m
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CVSS 5.4
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-16172 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.4) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Limesurvey/limesurvey libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves cross-site scripting in limesurvey. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.17.14.

CVE-2019-16172 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-16172
GHSA Identifier GHSA-fr47-r224-c36m
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.4
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Limesurvey/limesurvey
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.4

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:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2019-16172

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

limesurvey/limesurvey fixed: 3.17.14 
Upgrade limesurvey/limesurvey to 3.17.14
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 limesurvey/limesurvey

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2019-16172, inspect your project dependencies for Limesurvey/limesurvey:

inspect dependencies for limesurvey/limesurvey

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Limesurvey/limesurvey in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.17.14), 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-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where 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. In Limesurvey/limesurvey, 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

LimeSurvey before v3.17.14 allows stored XSS for escalating privileges from a low-privileged account to, for example, SuperAdmin. The attack uses a survey group in which the title contains JavaScript that is mishandled upon group deletion.

CVE-2019-16172 Affected Limesurvey/limesurvey Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.17.14
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
limesurvey/limesurvey
 Packagist
< 3.17.14
3.17.14

References

NVD — CVE-2019-16172 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-16172
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/LimeSurvey/LimeSurvey/commit/32d6a5224327b246ee3a2a08500544e4f80f9a9a
seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/sep/27 WEB
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Sep/27
www.limesurvey.org/limesurvey-updates/... WEB
https://www.limesurvey.org/limesurvey-updates/2188-limesurvey-3-17-14-build-190902-released
Limesurvey/limesurvey Security Information SECURITY
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/154479/LimeSurvey-3.17.13-Cross-Site-Scripting.html
seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019... WEB
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019/Sep/22

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-16172?
CVE-2019-16172 is a security vulnerability in Limesurvey/limesurvey involving Cross-site Scripting in LimeSurvey under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Limesurvey/limesurvey versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.17.14 across affected packages: limesurvey/limesurvey.
What version fixes CVE-2019-16172?
Upgrading to 3.17.14 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is limesurvey/limesurvey affected?
Yes, limesurvey/limesurvey is affected in releases prior to 3.17.14. Upgrade your dependency to 3.17.14 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-16172?
CVE-2019-16172 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-16172?
CVE-2019-16172 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (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 can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2019-16172?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for limesurvey/limesurvey'. 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-fr47-r224-c36m",
  "modified" : "2023-02-14T00:28:19Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T16:55:43Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-16172" ],
  "summary" : "Cross-site Scripting in LimeSurvey",
  "details" : "LimeSurvey before v3.17.14 allows stored XSS for escalating privileges from a low-privileged account to, for example, SuperAdmin. The attack uses a survey group in which the title contains JavaScript that is mishandled upon group deletion.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "limesurvey/limesurvey"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.17.14"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-16172"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/LimeSurvey/LimeSurvey/commit/32d6a5224327b246ee3a2a08500544e4f80f9a9a"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Sep/27"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.limesurvey.org/limesurvey-updates/2188-limesurvey-3-17-14-build-190902-released"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/154479/LimeSurvey-3.17.13-Cross-Site-Scripting.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019/Sep/22"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-02-14T00:28:19Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-09-09T19:15:00Z"
  }
}