CVE-2011-1696 in Identity Manager User Application
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Novell Identity Manager (aka IDM) User Application 3.5.0, 3.5.1, 3.6.0, 3.6.1, 3.7.0, and 4.0.0, and Identity Manager Roles Based Provisioning Module 3.6.0, 3.6.1, 3.7.0, and 4.0.0, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the apwaDetail (aka apwaDetailId) parameter, aka Bug 692972.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/24/2018
The CVE-2011-1696 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in Novell Identity Manager products, specifically affecting versions 3.5.0 through 4.0.0 of both the User Application and Roles Based Provisioning Module. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent web application security weaknesses identified by the CWE database. The flaw manifests in the improper validation and sanitization of user input within the apwaDetail parameter, which is also known as apwaDetailId in the associated Bug 692972 tracking reference.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows remote attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML code through the targeted parameter, bypassing the normal security mechanisms that should protect against such malicious input. When a user interacts with the vulnerable application and the malicious payload is processed, the injected script executes within the context of the user's browser session. This creates a persistent threat vector where attackers can manipulate the application's behavior and potentially access sensitive user data or perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability specifically affects the web application's parameter handling, where the apwaDetail parameter fails to properly validate or escape user-supplied input before rendering it back to the browser.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant within enterprise environments that utilize Novell Identity Manager for identity management and provisioning services. Organizations relying on these versions of the software face potential exposure to session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration attacks. The vulnerability particularly affects users who have administrative privileges or access to sensitive identity information, as attackers could exploit this weakness to escalate their privileges or gain unauthorized access to critical identity management functions. This weakness aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 for Account Access Removal and T1566 for Phishing, as attackers could leverage this vulnerability to create malicious web pages that trick users into executing harmful code. The impact extends beyond simple script injection, as the compromised applications could serve as entry points for more sophisticated attacks targeting the broader enterprise infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-1696 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Novell Identity Manager versions to the latest available security updates from the vendor. Organizations should implement input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent similar vulnerabilities in custom applications, ensuring all user-supplied data is properly sanitized before processing. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth layers to detect and block malicious requests targeting this parameter. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify other potential XSS vulnerabilities within their identity management infrastructure, as the flawed parameter handling suggests possible broader input validation issues. The remediation process should include thorough testing to ensure that patches do not introduce regressions in application functionality while maintaining the security improvements necessary to address this specific vulnerability.