CVE-2006-4843 in Lotus Domino
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Active Content Filter feature in IBM Lotus Domino before 6.5.6 and 7.x before 7.0.2 FP1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified "code sequences" that bypass the protection scheme.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/13/2015
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-4843 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within IBM Lotus Domino's Active Content Filter mechanism. This security weakness affects versions prior to 6.5.6 and 7.x before 7.0.2 FP1, creating a significant attack surface for malicious actors seeking to exploit web application vulnerabilities. The Active Content Filter was designed to protect against malicious code execution by sanitizing content, yet this flaw demonstrates a fundamental failure in the protection scheme's implementation. The vulnerability specifically allows attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML code through unspecified "code sequences" that successfully bypass the intended security controls.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which categorizes cross-site scripting flaws as weaknesses in web applications that allow attackers to inject client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users. This particular implementation flaw occurs within the content filtering subsystem where the system fails to properly validate or sanitize input sequences that should be blocked. The bypass mechanism operates through code sequences that are not adequately accounted for in the filter's rule set, enabling attackers to craft malicious payloads that appear legitimate to the filtering system while containing harmful script content. The vulnerability essentially creates a false sense of security where the system believes it has protected against malicious input when in reality it has not properly addressed all potential injection vectors.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents substantial risk to organizations relying on IBM Lotus Domino for email and collaboration services. Attackers could leverage this weakness to execute malicious scripts in the context of a victim's browser session, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or unauthorized access to sensitive corporate information. The impact extends beyond simple script injection as it could enable more sophisticated attacks such as credential theft or redirection to malicious sites. The nature of Lotus Domino's role in enterprise email and collaboration environments means that successful exploitation could compromise multiple users simultaneously, especially in environments where the application serves as a central communication hub. The vulnerability's presence in multiple version streams including both 6.5 and 7.x releases indicates a widespread exposure across the product's lifecycle.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches for versions 6.5.6 and 7.0.2 FP1, which address the specific bypass mechanism in the Active Content Filter. Network-based protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional layers of defense by monitoring for suspicious patterns in incoming requests that match known XSS attack signatures. Input validation should be strengthened to ensure all content passes through comprehensive sanitization before being processed or displayed, with particular attention to edge cases that might bypass existing filters. Security teams should also consider implementing content security policies and monitoring for anomalous behavior in user sessions that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of thorough testing of security controls, particularly in filtering mechanisms where incomplete validation can lead to catastrophic security failures. Organizations implementing the ATT&CK framework should recognize this as a potential technique for initial access or privilege escalation through web-based attack vectors.