CVE-2010-2986 in Wireless Control System Software
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in webacs/QuickSearchAction.do in the search feature in the web interface in Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS) before 6.0(194.0) and 7.x before 7.0.164 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the searchText parameter, aka Bug ID CSCtf14288.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/06/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-2986 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness in Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS) web interface components. This flaw exists within the webacs/QuickSearchAction.do servlet which processes search functionality requests, making it a prime target for malicious actors seeking to exploit web application security gaps. The vulnerability specifically affects versions prior to 6.0(194.0) and 7.x prior to 7.0.164, indicating this was a persistent issue across multiple release lines of the wireless network management platform.
The technical exploitation mechanism centers on the searchText parameter which is not properly sanitized or validated before being rendered back to users within the web interface. When an attacker crafts malicious input containing script tags or HTML code and submits it through this parameter, the system fails to escape or filter the content appropriately. This allows the injected payload to execute in the context of other users' browsers who view the search results, creating a classic XSS attack vector. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires no authentication to exploit, making it particularly dangerous in network management environments where administrative privileges may be present.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of users, redirect victims to malicious sites, or extract sensitive information from the wireless network management interface. Given that WCS serves as a central management platform for wireless networks, successful exploitation could compromise the entire wireless infrastructure. The attack surface is broad since any user with access to the search functionality could potentially be targeted, and the vulnerability affects the web interface directly, meaning that even non-administrative users could be compromised if they have access to the search feature.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches to versions 6.0(194.0) and 7.0.164 or later, which address the input validation issues in the QuickSearchAction.do component. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can provide additional protection layers, while implementing proper output encoding and input validation measures in the web application code can prevent similar vulnerabilities. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which describes Cross-site Scripting flaws, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for the initial access phase through malicious web content delivery. Security monitoring should include detection of suspicious search queries and anomalous user behavior patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.