CVE-2008-0769 in Livelink ECM
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Livelink ECM 9.0.0 through 9.7.0 and possibly earlier does not set the charset, which allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via UTF-7 encoded input.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/10/2017
The CVE-2008-0769 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting EMC Livelink Enterprise Content Management versions 9.0.0 through 9.7.0, with potential impact on earlier releases. This vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly set the charset attribute in HTTP responses, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit UTF-7 encoding mechanisms. The flaw operates at the web application level and aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities in software applications. The vulnerability's exploitation relies on the browser's interpretation of character encoding, where the absence of explicit charset declaration allows attackers to manipulate input handling through UTF-7 encoded payloads that can bypass standard security filters.
The technical execution of this vulnerability occurs when user-supplied input containing UTF-7 encoded characters is processed by the Livelink ECM application without proper sanitization or encoding enforcement. When the application fails to specify a character set in its HTTP headers, browsers may default to interpreting incoming data using UTF-7 encoding, which supports multiple character sets including the ability to execute arbitrary commands through encoded sequences. Attackers can craft malicious input that appears benign in one encoding context but becomes executable when interpreted through UTF-7, enabling them to inject script tags or other malicious content that executes in the context of other users' browsers. This particular attack vector leverages the inherent ambiguity in web application character handling and demonstrates how seemingly innocuous configuration omissions can create significant security risks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it provides attackers with persistent access to user sessions and potentially sensitive enterprise content management systems. Successful exploitation can lead to session hijacking, data exfiltration, privilege escalation within the Livelink environment, and establishment of persistent backdoors through malicious script execution. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of the ECM system by compromising user trust and potentially exposing confidential business information stored within the content management infrastructure. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to technique T1531 for "Run-time Process Injection" and T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript," as attackers can leverage the XSS capability to execute malicious JavaScript code in the victim's browser context.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-0769 require immediate implementation of proper HTTP header configuration including explicit charset declaration in all web responses, typically through setting the Content-Type header with charset parameter such as charset=utf-8. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and sanitization mechanisms that normalize all user-supplied data to prevent UTF-7 encoding manipulation, while also deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious encoding patterns. The remediation process should include updating to patched versions of Livelink ECM where available, though given the age of this vulnerability, organizations may need to implement additional compensating controls such as network-level filtering, browser security enhancements, and regular security scanning of the application environment. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide an additional layer of protection against script injection attacks, while regular security awareness training for administrators can help prevent misconfiguration that might inadvertently expose similar vulnerabilities in other web applications.