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Knime Analytics PlatformApplication · Knime

CVE-2023-5562

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-10-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.2.0 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
An unsafe default configuration in KNIME Analytics Platform before 5.2.0 allows for a cross-site scripting attack. When KNIME Analytics Platform is used as an executor for either KNIME Server or KNIME Business Hub several JavaScript-based view nodes do not sanitize the data that is displayed by default. If the data to be displayed contains JavaScript this code is executed in the browser and can perform any operations that the current user is allowed to perform silently. KNIME Analytics Platform already has configuration options with which sanitization of data can be actived, see https://docs.knime.com/latest/webportal_admin_guide/index.html#html-sanitization-webportal https://docs.knime.com/latest/webportal_admin_guide/index.html#html-sanitization-webportal . However, these are off by default which allows for cross-site scripting attacks. KNIME Analytics Platform 5.2.0 will enable sanitization by default. For all previous releases we recommend users to add the corresponding settings to the executor's knime.ini.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

KNIME Analytics Platform before 5.2.0 has an unsafe default configuration where JavaScript-based view nodes do not sanitize displayed data. When the platform is used as an executor for KNIME Server or KNIME Business Hub, malicious JavaScript embedded in data will execute in users' browsers, allowing silent operation execution.

MitigationEnable HTML sanitization by adding the corresponding settings to the executor's knime.ini configuration file, or upgrade to version 5.2.0 which enables sanitization by default.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Knime Analytics PlatformApplication
Affected:< 5.2.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify KNIME Analytics Platform version
    Check the installation directory for a version file or launch the application and look in Help > About. Common locations include the knime.ini file or a version.properties file in the installation folder.
    Affected if The reported version is earlier than 5.2.0 (for example, 5.1.x, 5.0.x, or earlier)
  2. Locate the knime.ini configuration file
    Find the knime.ini file in the KNIME Analytics Platform installation directory. This file contains executor configuration settings.
    Affected if The knime.ini file exists in the installation directory
  3. Check if HTML sanitization is enabled
    Open knime.ini and search for settings related to HTML sanitization or JavaScript sanitization. Look for properties such as 'knime.javascript.sanitize' or similar. Check whether the value is set to 'true' or if the setting is absent entirely.
    Affected if The sanitization setting is either absent from knime.ini OR present but set to 'false' or disabled, combined with a version below 5.2.0
  4. Verify execution context
    Determine whether this KNIME installation is configured as an executor for KNIME Server or KNIME Business Hub. Check for server connection configurations or executor role settings in the knime.ini or separate configuration files.
    Affected if The platform is configured as an executor for KNIME Server or KNIME Business Hub, allowing external workflow submissions

You are affected if KNIME Analytics Platform is version 5.1.x or earlier AND HTML sanitization is not enabled in the knime.ini configuration file, particularly when the platform serves as an executor for KNIME Server or KNIME Business Hub.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.2.0 or later
Fixed in 5.2.0
Interim mitigation

Enable HTML sanitization by adding the corresponding settings to the executor's knime.ini configuration file, or upgrade to version 5.2.0 which enables sanitization by default.

Recommended fix High confidence

5.2.0

  1. Upgrade KNIME Analytics Platform to version 5.2.0 or later, which enables HTML sanitization by default
  2. If upgrading is not immediately possible, add the HTML sanitization settings to the executor's knime.ini file as documented at https://docs.knime.com/latest/webportal_admin_guide/index.html#html-sanitization-webportal
  3. After applying the configuration change, restart the KNIME executor service

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Knime Analytics Platform Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-5562 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data