CVE-2008-2165 in Building Broadband Service Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in AccessCodeStart.asp in Cisco Building Broadband Service Manager (BBSM) Captive Portal 5.3 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the msg parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/01/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-2165 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in Cisco Building Broadband Service Manager (BBSM) Captive Portal version 5.3. This security weakness resides within the AccessCodeStart.asp component and enables remote attackers to execute malicious web scripts or HTML code through manipulation of the msg parameter. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before incorporating it into web responses. Such flaws typically occur when applications dynamically generate web content without sufficient sanitization of potentially malicious input, creating opportunities for attackers to inject harmful code that executes in the context of other users' browsers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability follows a classic XSS attack pattern where the msg parameter serves as the injection vector for malicious payloads. When the captive portal processes user input through this parameter without proper validation or encoding, it directly incorporates the supplied data into the web page response. This allows attackers to craft specially formatted messages that contain embedded script tags or other malicious code constructs. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79 as Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which specifically addresses the failure to properly encode or escape user-controllable data before including it in web output. This weakness enables attackers to bypass security controls and potentially execute arbitrary commands or steal session cookies, making it particularly dangerous in captive portal environments where user authentication and authorization are managed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can compromise the entire captive portal authentication system and potentially provide attackers with unauthorized access to network resources. In a captive portal environment, the vulnerability could allow attackers to redirect authenticated users to malicious websites, steal login credentials, or inject advertisements and phishing content that appears legitimate to users. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that captive portals are often used in enterprise and public WiFi environments where users trust the network infrastructure. This vulnerability could enable attackers to create persistent access points within networks, potentially leading to broader security breaches. According to ATT&CK framework, this represents a technique under T1531 - Account Access Removal and T1566 - Phishing, as attackers could leverage the XSS to manipulate user sessions and gain unauthorized network access through social engineering combined with code execution.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-2165 should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. Organizations should ensure that all user-supplied parameters, particularly those used in dynamic content generation, are thoroughly validated and sanitized before processing. The implementation of Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can provide additional protection against XSS attacks by restricting script execution and limiting the sources from which content can be loaded. Cisco released patches and updates for BBSM versions that addressed this vulnerability, emphasizing the importance of maintaining current firmware and software versions. Network administrators should also implement regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in other network components. The use of web application firewalls and input sanitization libraries can provide additional layers of protection against such attacks, while user education about suspicious network behavior can help reduce the success rate of phishing attempts that exploit these vulnerabilities.