CVE-2008-0866 in WebLogic Workshop
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in BEA WebLogic Workshop allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via an invalid action URI, which is not properly handled by NetUI page flows.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/05/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-0866 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness within BEA WebLogic Workshop, a comprehensive development environment for enterprise Java applications. This flaw resides in the NetUI page flow handling mechanism where the system fails to properly sanitize or validate action URI parameters, creating an exploitable entry point for malicious actors. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the application processes invalid action URIs that are not adequately filtered, allowing attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML content directly into the application's response stream.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of action URI parameters within the NetUI framework, which is designed to manage user interactions and page navigation within web applications. When an attacker submits a malformed or malicious action URI, the WebLogic Workshop environment does not properly escape or validate the input before incorporating it into the rendered HTML output. This improper handling creates a persistent XSS vector that can be leveraged to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of a victim's browser session, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized access to sensitive application data.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations utilizing BEA WebLogic Workshop for enterprise application development and deployment. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can exploit this weakness from outside the network perimeter without requiring authentication or privileged access. Successful exploitation could enable attackers to impersonate legitimate users, access confidential information, modify application behavior, or redirect users to malicious websites. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of the NetUI page flow management system, potentially compromising the integrity and confidentiality of web applications built using this development framework.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and demonstrates how improper input validation can create persistent security weaknesses. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566.001 (Phishing via Social Engineering) and T1059.007 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript), as attackers can leverage the XSS flaw to deliver malicious JavaScript payloads and establish persistent access to victim systems. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent the injection of malicious content, while also ensuring proper security updates and patches are applied to eliminate this vulnerability from their WebLogic Workshop environments.