Summary
kiwitcms vulnerable to stored XSS via unrestricted files upload
Full technical description
Workarounds
- Force the Content-Type header via a custom Django middleware, see
ExtraHeadersMiddlewarein https://github.com/kiwitcms/Kiwi/blob/master/tcms/core/middleware.py#L23 and/or - Force the Content-Type header via Nginx overrides, see
location /uploads/in https://github.com/kiwitcms/Kiwi/blob/master/etc/nginx.conf
References
Disclosed by Antonio Spataro and ek1ng. Additional credits to Ahmed Rabeaa Mosa.
Impact
Kiwi TCMS allows users to upload attachments to test plans, test cases, etc. Earlier versions of Kiwi TCMS had introduced upload validators in order to prevent potentially dangerous files from being uploaded, see GHSA-fwcf-753v-fgcj and Content-Security-Policy definition to prevent cross-site-scripting attacks, see GHSA-2wcr-87wf-cf9j.
The upload validation checks were not robust enough which left the possibility of an attacker to circumvent them and upload a potentially dangerous file. Exploting this flaw a combination of files could be uploaded so that they work together to circumvent the existing Content-Security-Policy and allow execution of arbitrary JavaScript in the browser.
Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session. Typical impact: session or credential theft, and actions taken as the user.
CVE-2023-32686 has a CVSS score of 5.4 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (12.3); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Already deployed Kodem?
See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
- File upload validation code has been improved
- Kiwi TCMS will now force
Content-Type: text/plainwhen serving uploaded files
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-32686? CVE-2023-32686 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in kiwitcms (pip), affecting versions < 12.3. It is fixed in 12.3. Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session.
- How severe is CVE-2023-32686? CVE-2023-32686 has a CVSS score of 5.4 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of kiwitcms are affected by CVE-2023-32686? kiwitcms (pip) versions < 12.3 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-32686? Yes. CVE-2023-32686 is fixed in 12.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-32686 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-32686 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2023-32686 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2023-32686? Upgrade
kiwitcmsto 12.3 or later.