CVE-2022-42449 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in HCL Domino Volt versions 1.0 through 1.0.5. The root cause is an unsafe default file type filter policy that permits the upload of .html files without adequate restrictions. This vulnerability falls under CWE-434, which concerns the unrestricted upload of files with dangerous types. Specifically, the issue allows attackers or users with limited privileges to upload HTML files containing malicious JavaScript code. When these files are deployed within the HCL Domino Volt environment, the embedded JavaScript can execute in the context of the application, potentially leading to client-side script execution attacks such as cross-site scripting (XSS). The CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.6, reflecting a medium severity level, with the vector indicating network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring low privileges (PR:L), and user interaction (UI:R). The impact affects confidentiality and integrity to a limited extent but does not affect availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches are linked in the provided data, suggesting that remediation may require vendor updates or configuration changes. The vulnerability is significant because HCL Domino Volt is used to rapidly build and deploy business applications, often in enterprise environments, and the ability to upload and execute malicious scripts can lead to unauthorized data access or manipulation within these applications.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to the confidentiality and integrity of data handled by applications built on HCL Domino Volt. Malicious HTML uploads could enable attackers to execute scripts that steal session tokens, manipulate application data, or perform actions on behalf of legitimate users. This can lead to data breaches, unauthorized transactions, or the spread of malware within the enterprise environment. Since HCL Domino Volt is used in business process automation, exploitation could disrupt workflows or compromise sensitive business information. The medium CVSS score reflects that while the vulnerability requires some user interaction and low privileges, the potential for lateral movement or privilege escalation exists if combined with other vulnerabilities. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially in targeted attacks against organizations relying on this software. European organizations with regulatory obligations under GDPR must be particularly cautious, as exploitation leading to data leakage could result in significant compliance penalties.

1. Immediate mitigation should involve restricting file upload capabilities within HCL Domino Volt applications to disallow .html and other potentially dangerous file types, either through configuration or custom validation logic. 2. Implement strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers in deployed applications to limit the execution of inline scripts and reduce the impact of any malicious JavaScript that might be uploaded. 3. Enforce robust user authentication and authorization controls to limit who can upload files, ideally restricting upload permissions to trusted users only. 4. Monitor application logs for unusual file upload activity or attempts to upload .html files. 5. Where possible, sanitize or validate uploaded files server-side to detect and block files containing executable scripts. 6. Stay updated with HCL Software advisories for official patches or updates addressing this vulnerability and apply them promptly once available. 7. Conduct security awareness training for users to recognize and avoid uploading unsafe files. 8. Consider deploying web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block malicious file uploads or script execution attempts within the application context.