CVE-2022-42000 is a Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the BlueSpiceSocialProfile extension of the BlueSpice wiki platform, developed by Hallo Welt! GmbH. This vulnerability specifically affects BlueSpice version 4. The flaw allows an authenticated user with comment permissions to inject arbitrary HTML code into the comment section of a wiki page. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79, which pertains to improper neutralization of input during web page generation, leading to XSS. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 3.3, indicating a low severity level. The vector details (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N) reveal that the attack requires local access (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), privileges (PR:L) in the form of comment permissions, no user interaction (UI:N), and impacts confidentiality slightly (C:L) without affecting integrity or availability. The vulnerability does not require additional user interaction beyond the attacker’s own actions, and no known exploits are currently reported in the wild. The lack of patch links suggests that either a patch is not yet publicly available or not explicitly linked in the provided data. The vulnerability could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary HTML or script code within the context of the victim’s browser when viewing the compromised comment, potentially leading to session hijacking, phishing, or other client-side attacks limited to the scope of the wiki platform’s users with comment access.

For European organizations using BlueSpice version 4, particularly those leveraging the BlueSpiceSocialProfile extension, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to the confidentiality of user data within the wiki environment. Since the vulnerability allows injection of arbitrary HTML by users with comment permissions, it could be exploited to steal session tokens, perform phishing attacks, or manipulate displayed content to mislead users. However, the impact is limited by the requirement for the attacker to have comment permissions, which typically implies some level of trust or authenticated access. The vulnerability does not affect the integrity or availability of the system, nor does it allow remote unauthenticated exploitation. Organizations relying on BlueSpice for internal knowledge management or collaboration could face targeted attacks aimed at credential theft or social engineering within their user base. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk, but the presence of this vulnerability in a collaborative platform used in corporate, academic, or governmental environments in Europe means that attackers with insider access or compromised accounts could leverage it to escalate attacks or gather sensitive information. The impact is thus moderate in scope but should not be ignored, especially in sectors with sensitive or proprietary information stored in BlueSpice wikis.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should first verify if they are running BlueSpice version 4 with the BlueSpiceSocialProfile extension enabled. Since no explicit patch link is provided, organizations should contact Hallo Welt! GmbH or check official BlueSpice repositories and security advisories for patches or updates addressing CVE-2022-42000. In the interim, organizations can restrict comment permissions to trusted users only, minimizing the risk of malicious HTML injection. Implementing strict input validation and output encoding on the comment fields can reduce the risk of XSS exploitation. Additionally, deploying Content Security Policy (CSP) headers that restrict the execution of inline scripts and limit resource loading to trusted domains can mitigate the impact of injected scripts. Regularly auditing user permissions and monitoring wiki comment activity for suspicious content is recommended. Organizations should also educate users about the risks of interacting with untrusted content within internal platforms. Finally, consider isolating the BlueSpice platform within a segmented network environment to limit potential lateral movement if exploitation occurs.