CVE-2008-3358 in NetWeaver
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Web Dynpro (WD) in the SAP NetWeaver portal, when Internet Explorer 7.0.5730 is used, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URI, which causes the XSS payload to be reflected in a text/plain document.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/25/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-3358 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within SAP NetWeaver portal's Web Dynpro component that specifically targets users operating Internet Explorer 7.0.5730. This weakness enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts through carefully crafted Uniform Resource Identifiers that are then reflected in text/plain document contexts, creating a significant security risk for organizations utilizing this specific SAP configuration. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the Web Dynpro framework's handling of user-supplied data in URI parameters.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability occurs when the SAP NetWeaver portal processes user-provided URI data without proper sanitization or encoding, allowing malicious payloads to be embedded in the request parameters. When Internet Explorer 7.0.5730 renders the response containing the reflected malicious content, the browser executes the injected script code within the context of the vulnerable application. This particular attack vector is specific to the text/plain document type, which means that the reflected payload must be carefully crafted to maintain its execution context within this MIME type environment. The vulnerability's exploitation requires the victim to be authenticated or to follow a malicious link while using the specified Internet Explorer version, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users frequently interact with SAP applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the ability to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive user credentials, modify application data, or redirect users to malicious websites. In enterprise settings, where SAP NetWeaver portals often contain sensitive business information and are integrated with critical business processes, this vulnerability can lead to unauthorized access to confidential data, disruption of business operations, and potential data breaches. The specific targeting of Internet Explorer 7.0.5730 indicates that the vulnerability may be related to how this particular browser version handles certain character encodings or content rendering that differs from more modern browsers, making it challenging to mitigate without addressing the underlying browser compatibility issues.
Organizations should implement multiple layers of defense to protect against this vulnerability, including immediate application of SAP security patches and updates specifically designed to address the XSS flaw in Web Dynpro components. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls should be configured to detect and block suspicious URI patterns that may contain XSS payloads, while also implementing strict input validation and output encoding policies throughout the application stack. The mitigation strategy should also include user education about avoiding suspicious links and maintaining updated browser versions, as well as regular security assessments of SAP environments to identify similar vulnerabilities. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a common attack pattern categorized under the ATT&CK framework's TA0001 Initial Access and TA0002 Execution phases, where adversaries establish footholds and execute malicious code within target environments.