CVE-2011-4575 in JBoss Enterprise Application Platform
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the JMX console in JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) 5.2.0, Web Platform (EWP) 5.2.0, and BRMS Platform before 5.3.1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/02/2018
The CVE-2011-4575 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the JMX console of several Red Hat enterprise platforms including JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 5.2.0, Web Platform 5.2.0, and BRMS Platform versions prior to 5.3.1. This vulnerability resides in the management interface that provides administrative access to Java enterprise applications, making it a particularly dangerous weakness in enterprise environments where privileged access is required. The JMX console serves as a critical component for monitoring and managing application server operations, providing administrators with comprehensive control over deployed applications and system configurations. When exploited, this vulnerability allows remote attackers to inject malicious scripts that can execute within the context of authenticated users' browsers, potentially compromising the entire administrative session and underlying application infrastructure. The unspecified vectors indicate that the attack surface encompasses multiple potential injection points within the console's input handling mechanisms, making the vulnerability particularly challenging to defend against through traditional input validation approaches.
This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79, which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a weakness where untrusted data is sent to a web browser without proper validation or sanitization, allowing attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of the victim's browser. The flaw specifically affects the JMX console's handling of user-supplied input, where data is not properly escaped or filtered before being rendered in web responses. Attackers can leverage this weakness by crafting malicious payloads that are executed when legitimate users navigate to affected pages or interact with the console. The impact extends beyond simple script execution as it can enable session hijacking, privilege escalation, and potentially full system compromise when combined with other attack vectors. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because JMX consoles typically operate with elevated privileges, making successful exploitation potentially devastating for enterprise security postures.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-4575 is substantial for organizations running affected JBoss platforms, as it creates a persistent security risk that can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform various malicious activities including stealing administrative sessions, modifying application configurations, accessing sensitive data, and potentially executing arbitrary commands on the underlying system. The vulnerability's presence in multiple platform versions including EAP, EWP, and BRMS platforms indicates a widespread exposure across enterprise application infrastructure, affecting organizations that rely on Red Hat's enterprise solutions for their business-critical applications. Organizations may experience unauthorized access to sensitive enterprise data, disruption of services, and potential compliance violations when this vulnerability remains unpatched. The remote exploit capability means that attackers can target these systems from anywhere on the internet, without requiring physical access or network proximity, making the attack surface extremely broad.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the vendor-provided patches and updates that address this vulnerability in all affected JBoss platform versions. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure of JMX consoles to trusted networks only, while implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other enterprise applications and systems. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1059 for Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1566 for Phishing, as attackers can leverage the XSS to deliver malicious payloads and establish persistent access. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and content security policies to provide additional layers of protection against similar injection attacks. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing comprehensive application security measures throughout the software development lifecycle to prevent such persistent weaknesses from compromising enterprise infrastructure.