CVE-2009-1079 in Java System Identity Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Sun Java System Identity Manager (IdM) 7.0 through 8.0 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors, aka Bug IDs 19659, 19660, and 19683.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/08/2017
Sun Java System Identity Manager version 7.0 through 8.0 contains multiple cross-site scripting vulnerabilities that enable remote attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML code into the application. These vulnerabilities arise from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the identity management platform, creating attack vectors that can be exploited by malicious actors to execute unauthorized code within the context of a victim's browser session. The specific vulnerability details are associated with Bug IDs 19659, 19660, and 19683, indicating a coordinated set of flaws affecting the application's security posture.
The technical flaw stems from the application's failure to properly sanitize user-supplied input before rendering it in web responses. This allows attackers to craft malicious payloads that, when processed by the vulnerable application, get executed in the browsers of unsuspecting users. The vulnerabilities are classified under CWE-79, which represents Cross-site Scripting flaws in the Common Weakness Enumeration taxonomy, specifically encompassing the improper neutralization of input during web page generation. Attackers can leverage these weaknesses to perform session hijacking, deface web interfaces, steal sensitive information, or redirect users to malicious websites.
The operational impact of these vulnerabilities is significant within enterprise environments that rely on Sun Java System Identity Manager for user authentication and access control. An attacker who successfully exploits these XSS flaws can gain unauthorized access to user sessions, potentially compromising privileged accounts and accessing sensitive identity data. The vulnerabilities affect the integrity and confidentiality of the identity management system, as malicious scripts can manipulate web pages to display unauthorized content or capture user credentials. Organizations using these versions of Identity Manager face increased risk of data breaches and unauthorized system access, particularly in environments where the application handles sensitive user information and authentication tokens.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. Organizations should deploy web application firewalls to detect and block malicious script injections, while also applying the latest security patches and updates provided by Oracle. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against script execution, and regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities. According to ATT&CK framework, these vulnerabilities map to technique T1531 - Account Access Removal and T1078 - Valid Accounts, as they can be used to escalate privileges and maintain persistent access to the system. Organizations should also consider implementing proper security training for developers to prevent similar issues in custom application development and ensure that input sanitization is consistently applied across all web interfaces.