CVE-2009-2454 in Web Interface
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Citrix Web Interface 4.6, 5.0, and 5.0.1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/02/2019
The CVE-2009-2454 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in Citrix Web Interface versions 4.6, 5.0, and 5.0.1. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting attacks where untrusted data is improperly incorporated into web pages without proper validation or sanitization. The vulnerability affects organizations relying on Citrix's web-based interface solutions for remote access and application delivery, creating a significant security risk for enterprises that depend on these platforms for business-critical operations.
The technical nature of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms within the Citrix Web Interface components. Attackers can exploit this weakness by injecting malicious scripts or HTML code through unspecified vectors within the web application's request processing pipeline. These vectors typically involve parameters or input fields that are not adequately sanitized before being rendered in web responses. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary web scripts in the context of the victim's browser, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites.
The operational impact of CVE-2009-2454 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can be leveraged for sophisticated attack chains within the broader ATT&CK framework. Attackers can use this vulnerability to establish persistent access through session manipulation techniques, or to perform phishing attacks by injecting malicious content that appears legitimate to end users. Organizations utilizing Citrix Web Interface for remote desktop and application access face elevated risk of unauthorized access to sensitive corporate resources, particularly when users access these interfaces from untrusted networks or public Wi-Fi environments. The vulnerability essentially undermines the trust model of the web interface, allowing attackers to compromise user sessions and potentially escalate privileges within the Citrix infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected Citrix Web Interface versions to address the underlying XSS flaws. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms across all web applications, particularly those handling user-supplied data. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth layers to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities within the broader application ecosystem, as this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input sanitization in web applications. The remediation process must also include user education regarding suspicious web content and the implementation of strict access controls to limit the potential damage from successful exploitation attempts.