14 DAY TRIAL // A cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability has been found in Google Search Appliance (GSA), a device that enables organizations to index and search through web content, databases, and content management systems. The appliance combines Dell hardware with Google software.
According to an advisory published by the Computer Emergency Response Team’s Coordination Center (CERT/CC), the enterprise solution is vulnerable to reflected XSS attacks when the dynamic navigation feature is enabled.
The security hole has been fixed with the release of versions 7.2.0.G.114 and 7.0.14.G.216. Customers can download the updates from Google’s Enterprise Support Portal.
As a workaround, users can disable the dynamic navigation feature. Instructions on how to do so are available on the GSA support page.
Variants prior to 7.2.0.G.114 and 7.0.14.G.216 don’t properly sanitize user input that is reflected directly into a JavaScript "script" block when dynamic navigation is turned on. The vulnerability can be exploited by an attacker to perform an XSS attack, i.e. execute arbitrary script in the context of the end-user’s browser session.
Will Dormann, a vulnerability analyst with the CERT/CC, reported the existence of the issue to Google on March 20, 2014. The advisory on the Google Search Appliance XSS vulnerability was made public on May 1, 2014.