CVE-2023-33176: Blind SSRF When Uploading Presentation in BigBlueButton
BigBlueButton is an open source virtual classroom designed to help teachers teach and learners learn. In affected versions are affected by a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability. In an insertDocument API request the user is able to supply a URL from which the presentation should be downloaded. This URL was being used without having been successfully validated first. An update to the followRedirect method in the PresentationUrlDownloadService has been made to validate all URLs to be used for presentation download. Two new properties presentationDownloadSupportedProtocols and presentationDownloadBlockedHosts have also been added to bigbluebutton.properties to allow administrators to define what protocols a URL must use and to explicitly define hosts that a presentation cannot be downloaded from. All URLs passed to insertDocument must conform to the requirements of the two previously mentioned properties. Additionally, these URLs must resolve to valid addresses, and these addresses must not be local or loopback addresses. There are no workarounds. Users are advised to upgrade to a patched version of BigBlueButton.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Configuration
Set presentationDownloadSupportedProtocols to the specific protocols BigBlueButton presentation downloads are allowed to use (these properties were added to validate URLs).
BigBlueButton (bigbluebutton.properties) presentationDownloadSupportedProtocols = configured allowlist of protocols - Configuration
Set presentationDownloadBlockedHosts to explicitly list hosts from which presentations must not be downloaded (to block SSRF to internal/unsafe destinations).
BigBlueButton (bigbluebutton.properties) presentationDownloadBlockedHosts = configured blocked host list - Compensating control
Ensure PresentationUrlDownloadService followRedirect validates URLs (the update validates all URLs used for presentation download) so redirects cannot bypass URL validation.
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2023-33176?
CVE-2023-33176 is a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in BigBlueButton, an open source virtual classroom software.
How does CVE-2023-33176 affect BigBlueButton?
CVE-2023-33176 allows an attacker to perform server-side request forgery by supplying a malicious URL in an 'insertDocument' API request, potentially leading to unauthorized access or data leakage.
Which versions of BigBlueButton are affected by CVE-2023-33176?
BigBlueButton versions up to and excluding 2.5.18, as well as versions between 2.6.0 and 2.6.9, are affected by CVE-2023-33176.
What is the severity of CVE-2023-33176?
CVE-2023-33176 has a medium severity rating with a CVSS score of 6.5.
How can I fix CVE-2023-33176 in my BigBlueButton installation?
To fix CVE-2023-33176, it is recommended to update your BigBlueButton installation to a version that includes the necessary security patches.