Executive Summary

This vulnerability exists in Mantis Bug Tracker (MantisBT) versions from 1.0.0 to 2.28.1. It is caused by a lack of validation of the filter_target parameter on the return_dynamic_filters.php script, which is typically used as an AJAX call in the View Issues Page.

Because of this lack of validation, an attacker can inject arbitrary HTML if the target is a TEXTAREA custom field. This means malicious HTML code can be inserted and potentially executed within the application.

The issue is fixed in version 2.28.2.

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Impact Analysis

The vulnerability allows an attacker to inject arbitrary HTML into the application, which can lead to several impacts including potential cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.

Such attacks can compromise user data, hijack user sessions, deface the website, or redirect users to malicious sites.

Since the vulnerability is exploitable without user interaction and requires low privileges, it increases the risk of exploitation.

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Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, you should upgrade Mantis Bug Tracker to version 2.28.2 or later, where the issue with lack of validation of the filter_target parameter on return_dynamic_filters.php is fixed.

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Compliance Impact

The vulnerability is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) issue that allows attackers to inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript code, potentially leading to unauthorized access to user sessions or data.

Such vulnerabilities can impact the confidentiality and integrity of data handled by the affected system, which may lead to non-compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR and HIPAA that require safeguarding personal and sensitive information.

Exploitation of this vulnerability could result in unauthorized disclosure or manipulation of data, thereby violating compliance requirements related to data security and privacy.

Therefore, organizations using vulnerable versions of MantisBT should upgrade to the patched version 2.28.2 promptly to maintain compliance with these standards.

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability can be detected by identifying attempts to exploit the reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) flaw in the filter_target parameter of the return_dynamic_filters.php endpoint in MantisBT versions prior to 2.28.2.

Detection involves monitoring web server logs or network traffic for suspicious HTTP requests containing the filter_target parameter with unusual or malicious HTML or JavaScript code, especially targeting TEXTAREA custom fields.

Example commands to detect such attempts include searching web server logs for suspicious filter_target parameter values:

• Using grep to find suspicious filter_target usage in Apache or Nginx logs: grep -i 'filter_target=' /var/log/apache2/access.log
• Using grep with pattern matching for HTML tags or script tags in filter_target parameter: grep -E 'filter_target=.*<.*>' /var/log/apache2/access.log
• Using network traffic analysis tools like tshark or Wireshark to filter HTTP GET requests containing filter_target parameter: tshark -Y 'http.request.uri contains "filter_target="'

Additionally, testing can be performed by crafting URLs with malicious payloads in the filter_target parameter to verify if the system is vulnerable, but this should be done in a controlled environment.

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