CVE-2010-3987 in Insight Control Virtual Machine Management
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in HP Insight Control Virtual Machine Management before 6.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/04/2018
The CVE-2010-3987 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in HP Insight Control Virtual Machine Management software prior to version 6.2. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-79, which specifically addresses improper neutralization of input during web output, making it a classic example of client-side injection vulnerability. The affected system operates within enterprise virtualization management environments where administrators manage multiple virtual machines through a centralized web interface, creating an ideal attack surface for malicious actors seeking unauthorized access to sensitive infrastructure data.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the web application layer of HP Insight Control. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious payloads that are subsequently executed in the context of other users' browsers when they interact with the vulnerable management interface. The unspecified vectors suggest that multiple entry points within the application may be susceptible to injection attacks, potentially including form fields, URL parameters, or API endpoints that process user-supplied data without proper sanitization. This lack of specific vector identification indicates the vulnerability may be pervasive across various functional components of the virtual machine management system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or session hijacking, as it provides attackers with the capability to manipulate virtual machine configurations, access sensitive infrastructure information, and potentially escalate privileges within the management environment. In enterprise settings where HP Insight Control manages critical virtualized workloads, this vulnerability could enable attackers to gain unauthorized access to production environments, compromise data integrity, and disrupt business operations. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries need not be physically present within the network perimeter, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for organizations with distributed or cloud-based virtualization deployments.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including updating to HP Insight Control version 6.2 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the XSS weakness. Additional protective measures include implementing robust input validation at all application entry points, enforcing proper output encoding for web content, and deploying web application firewalls to detect and block malicious payloads. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify other potential injection points within their virtualization management infrastructure and establish monitoring procedures to detect suspicious activity in the management interface. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1566 for Phishing and T1059 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, highlighting the multi-stage attack approach that adversaries might employ once they establish initial access through this XSS vector.