CVE-2005-4413 in WebSphere Application Server
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in sample scripts in IBM WebSphere Application Server 6 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) E-mail address field to (a) PlantsByWebSphere/login.jsp, (2) message field to (b) TechnologySample/BulletinBoard Script, (3) Email address field to (c) TechnologySamples/Subscription, and the (4) Movie Name, (5) Movie Reviewer, and (6) Movie Review fields to (d) TechnologySamples/MovieReview2_1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/19/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-4413 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness affecting IBM WebSphere Application Server version 6. This issue stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization within multiple sample web applications distributed with the server software. The vulnerability manifests across several distinct endpoints including PlantsByWebSphere/login.jsp, TechnologySample/BulletinBoard Script, TechnologySamples/Subscription, and TechnologySamples/MovieReview2_1, demonstrating the widespread nature of the flaw within the sample application suite. These sample applications serve as educational tools and demonstration environments for developers working with the WebSphere platform, making them particularly attractive targets for exploitation due to their accessibility and the potential for attackers to learn from them.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the failure to properly sanitize user input before rendering it within web pages. Attackers can exploit this weakness by injecting malicious script code through specific input fields such as email addresses, message content, and movie review data. When these inputs are processed and displayed without proper encoding or filtering, the injected scripts execute in the context of other users' browsers who visit the affected pages. This creates a persistent threat vector where malicious code can be stored and executed against unsuspecting users, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79 which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a weakness where untrusted data is used to generate web content without proper validation or encoding, making it a classic example of insecure input handling.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to compromise the security of entire web applications. When attackers successfully exploit these XSS vulnerabilities, they can manipulate the behavior of legitimate users' browsers, potentially accessing sensitive session information or performing unauthorized actions on behalf of users. The presence of these flaws in sample applications also poses a significant risk to organizations that may inadvertently deploy or use these components in production environments, especially since sample applications are often not properly secured or monitored. The vulnerability affects the broader WebSphere ecosystem by undermining confidence in the platform's security posture and potentially providing attackers with a foothold for more sophisticated attacks against the application server infrastructure.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied data across all web applications. The recommended approach involves implementing proper HTML encoding for all dynamic content before rendering it in web pages, which prevents script execution in browser contexts. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive security reviews of all sample applications and development environments to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts can be loaded. Regular security testing and code reviews should be conducted to ensure that all input fields are properly sanitized and that output is appropriately encoded to prevent malicious script injection. These measures align with ATT&CK tactic T1203 which covers Exploitation for Credential Access, and T1566 which covers Phishing, as attackers could leverage these vulnerabilities to harvest credentials or redirect users to malicious sites.