CVE-2008-4119 in Service Desk
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in CA Service Desk 11.2 and CMDB 11.0 through 11.2 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors involving "multiple web forms."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/28/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-4119 represents a critical security flaw in CA Service Desk versions 11.2 and CMDB versions 11.0 through 11.2 that exposes organizations to significant cross-site scripting attacks. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within multiple web forms of the service management platform, creating exploitable entry points for malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content. The flaw affects the core functionality of enterprise service management systems where user input is processed and displayed without proper sanitization, making it particularly dangerous in environments where sensitive operational data is managed.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the failure of the application to properly validate and sanitize user-supplied data submitted through various web forms. When users interact with these forms, the system does not adequately filter or encode special characters that could be interpreted as executable script code by web browsers. This allows attackers to craft malicious payloads that, when submitted through legitimate user interfaces, get stored or displayed in a manner that executes unintended code within the context of other users' browser sessions. The unspecified vectors suggest that multiple form fields and input points throughout the application are affected, increasing the attack surface and exploitation potential.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive user credentials, access confidential service management data, or redirect users to malicious websites. In enterprise environments running CA Service Desk or CMDB systems, this vulnerability could compromise the integrity of critical service management processes, potentially affecting incident management, problem management, and configuration management activities. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it leverages legitimate user interfaces, making detection more difficult and allowing attackers to blend their activities with normal user behavior patterns.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and output encoding mechanisms, regular security assessments of web applications, and comprehensive user input sanitization procedures. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566 related to spearphishing attachments and links. Security teams should prioritize patch management for affected versions, implement web application firewalls to detect and block malicious payloads, and conduct thorough penetration testing to identify additional unpatched vulnerabilities in the service management infrastructure. The remediation process should also include user education on recognizing suspicious form submissions and implementing proper access controls to limit the impact of potential exploitation.