CVE-2007-4142 in Lotus Sametime
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM Lotus Sametime Server 7.5.1 before 20070731 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors involving a crafted Sametime meeting.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/27/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-4142 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within IBM Lotus Sametime Server 7.5.1 that existed prior to the 20070731 patch release. This security weakness specifically affects the server component of IBM's collaborative communication platform, which was widely used for instant messaging and video conferencing services in enterprise environments. The vulnerability manifests when users participate in crafted Sametime meetings, where malicious actors can exploit the system to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content into the server's response handling mechanisms. The unspecified vectors suggest that the attack could occur through various entry points within the meeting functionality, potentially including meeting invitations, participant lists, or other interactive elements that the server processes and displays to users.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which classifies cross-site scripting as a code injection flaw that allows attackers to execute scripts in the victim's browser context. This particular implementation flaw occurs when the Lotus Sametime Server fails to properly sanitize or validate user-supplied input that is subsequently rendered in web pages served to clients. The vulnerability's remote exploitation capability means that attackers do not need physical access to the system or network privileges to carry out the attack, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where multiple users interact through the same collaborative platform. When successfully exploited, the XSS vulnerability enables attackers to perform actions such as stealing session cookies, redirecting users to malicious websites, or executing unauthorized commands within the context of authenticated user sessions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it fundamentally compromises the security model of the Lotus Sametime collaborative environment. Enterprise users who participate in meetings could unknowingly execute malicious code that persists in their browser sessions, potentially leading to complete account compromise or unauthorized access to sensitive corporate communications. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely heavily on Lotus Sametime for business-critical collaboration, as attackers could exploit this weakness to monitor conversations, inject false information, or escalate privileges within the system. The attack vector through crafted meetings suggests that even legitimate users who receive invitations from compromised accounts could become victims, making the threat surface particularly broad within corporate networks where trust relationships are implicit in the collaboration system.
Organizations should implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability, including immediate deployment of the vendor-provided patch released on 20070731, which addressed the specific input validation issues in the meeting handling components. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can provide additional protection by monitoring and filtering traffic patterns that might indicate XSS attack attempts. Regular security assessments of collaborative platforms should include specific testing for input validation weaknesses, particularly in areas where user-generated content is processed and displayed. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of following secure coding practices such as those recommended in the OWASP Top Ten, which emphasizes the need for proper input sanitization and output encoding to prevent injection attacks. Organizations should consider implementing content security policies and monitoring for anomalous meeting creation patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Given the nature of this vulnerability, regular security awareness training for users about suspicious meeting invitations and the potential for malicious code execution in collaborative environments becomes essential for comprehensive protection. The attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers social engineering through spearphishing with malicious attachments or links, where the malicious meeting invitations serve as the attack vector for delivering the XSS payload to target systems.