CVE-2024-28983
📋 TL;DR
This is a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Hitachi Vantara Pentaho Business Analytics Server that allows attackers to inject malicious content into the Analyzer plugin interface via specially crafted URLs. It affects all versions before 10.1.0.0 and 9.3.0.7, including 8.3.x. Organizations using vulnerable versions of Pentaho Business Analytics Server are at risk.
💻 Affected Systems
- Hitachi Vantara Pentaho Business Analytics Server
📦 What is this software?
Pentaho Business Analytics Server by Hitachi
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could steal session cookies, perform actions as authenticated users, redirect users to malicious sites, or deface the application interface.
Likely Case
Session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions performed in the context of authenticated users.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation, output encoding, and Content Security Policy (CSP) headers in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (clicking malicious link) and authenticated access to the Analyzer plugin.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 10.1.0.0 or 9.3.0.7
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download the patched version (10.1.0.0 or 9.3.0.7) from the official Pentaho portal. 2. Backup your current installation and configuration. 3. Stop the Pentaho server. 4. Apply the update following the vendor's upgrade documentation. 5. Restart the server and verify functionality.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Implement Content Security Policy
allAdd CSP headers to restrict script execution sources and mitigate XSS impact.
Add 'Content-Security-Policy' header to web server configuration with appropriate directives
Input Validation Filter
allImplement web application firewall or proxy rules to filter malicious URL parameters.
Configure WAF rules to block suspicious URL patterns containing script tags or JavaScript
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict network access to Pentaho server to trusted users only
- Implement strong session management with short timeouts and secure cookie attributes
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the Pentaho server version in the administration console or by examining the server logs for version information.Check Version:
Check the Pentaho administration console or examine the server startup logs for version information.Verify Fix Applied:
After patching, verify the version shows 10.1.0.0 or 9.3.0.7 or higher in the administration interface.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual URL parameters containing script tags or JavaScript in web server logs
- Multiple failed authentication attempts followed by successful login from same IP
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with suspicious parameters to Analyzer plugin endpoints
- Outbound connections to unknown domains from Pentaho server
SIEM Query:
source="pentaho_logs" AND (url="*<script>*" OR url="*javascript:*" OR url="*onerror=*" OR url="*onload=*")🔗 References
- https://support.pentaho.com/hc/en-us/articles/27569257123725-Hitachi-Vantara-Pentaho-Business-Analytics-Server-Improper-Neutralization-of-Input-During-Web-Page-Generation-Cross-site-Scripting-Versions-before-10-1-0-0-and-9-3-0-7-including-8-3-x-Impacted-CVE-2024-28983
- https://support.pentaho.com/hc/en-us/articles/27569257123725-Hitachi-Vantara-Pentaho-Business-Analytics-Server-Improper-Neutralization-of-Input-During-Web-Page-Generation-Cross-site-Scripting-Versions-before-10-1-0-0-and-9-3-0-7-including-8-3-x-Impacted-CVE-2024-28983
