CVE-2007-4633 in Call Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Cisco CallManager and Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) before 3.3(5)sr2b, 4.1 before 4.1(3)sr5, 4.2 before 4.2(3)sr2, and 4.3 before 4.3(1)sr1 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the lang variable to the (1) user or (2) admin logon page, aka CSCsi10728.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/25/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-4633 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Cisco CallManager and Unified Communications Manager versions prior to specific security patches. This vulnerability resides in the authentication pages of these communication platforms, making it particularly dangerous as it targets the very entry points that users must access to utilize the system services. The flaw specifically affects the lang variable parameter within the user and admin login interfaces, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content directly into the authentication process.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding within the web interface components of Cisco's unified communications software. When the system processes the lang parameter without proper sanitization, it fails to escape special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code by web browsers. This processing gap creates an exploitable condition where an attacker can craft malicious URLs containing script payloads that execute in the context of authenticated sessions. The vulnerability affects multiple version streams of the software including 3.x, 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3 releases, indicating a widespread issue across the product line that required specific patch releases to address.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables remote attackers to perform session hijacking, credential theft, and unauthorized access to the communication system. An attacker could inject malicious scripts that capture login credentials, redirect users to phishing sites, or execute arbitrary commands within the browser context of authenticated users. The vulnerability's designation as CSCsi10728 by Cisco indicates the severity level and the potential for widespread exploitation across enterprise networks that rely on these communication platforms for business-critical operations. Given that these systems are often integrated into corporate networks and may contain sensitive telephony data, successful exploitation could lead to complete compromise of the unified communications infrastructure.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement the security patches released by Cisco for versions 3.3(5)sr2b, 4.1(3)sr5, 4.2(3)sr2, and 4.3(1)sr1, as these updates contain the necessary input validation and output encoding fixes to prevent the injection of malicious scripts. Network segmentation strategies should be employed to limit access to the affected systems, and administrators should monitor for suspicious login activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege as attackers can exploit the authentication interfaces without requiring elevated system access. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566 (Phishing) and T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS) as attackers could leverage the XSS to redirect users or establish command and control channels through the compromised authentication pages. The remediation approach should include comprehensive security testing of web interfaces, implementation of Content Security Policies, and regular security assessments to identify similar input validation weaknesses in other networked applications.