CVE-2011-5178 in netmri
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in netmri/config/userAdmin/login.tdf in Infoblox NetMRI 6.0.2.42, 6.1.2, 6.2.1 and earlier allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) eulaAccepted or (2) mode parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/22/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-5178 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Infoblox NetMRI network management platform. This security weakness exists in the user administration component of the software, specifically within the login.tdf configuration file that handles user authentication and access control functions. The affected versions include NetMRI 6.0.2.42, 6.1.2, and 6.2.1, indicating this vulnerability has persisted across multiple releases of the network monitoring solution. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly filter or escape user-supplied data before processing it within the web application context.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows remote attackers to exploit two distinct parameter injection points within the login process. The first vulnerable parameter is eulaAccepted which typically handles end-user license agreement acceptance status, while the second parameter mode controls operational modes of the authentication system. When these parameters receive malicious input containing script code, the application fails to properly sanitize or encode the data before rendering it within the web interface. This creates an environment where attacker-controlled JavaScript code can be executed within the context of authenticated user sessions, potentially leading to complete compromise of user accounts and access to sensitive network monitoring data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with the capability to establish persistent access to network monitoring infrastructure that is critical for security operations. Network administrators who authenticate to the NetMRI system could have their sessions hijacked, allowing unauthorized access to network topology information, device configurations, and monitoring data. The vulnerability affects the core authentication and authorization mechanisms of the platform, potentially enabling attackers to escalate privileges or perform unauthorized administrative actions. Given that NetMRI is designed for network security monitoring and management, exploitation of this vulnerability could result in significant compromise of network security posture and provide attackers with visibility into network operations and potential attack vectors.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which describes cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and maps to attack techniques documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1566 for credential access through social engineering. Organizations utilizing Infoblox NetMRI should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to address this vulnerability, as the remote exploitability and potential for session hijacking make it particularly dangerous in operational environments. The remediation process should include comprehensive input validation implementation, proper output encoding, and regular security assessments of web application components to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in the future. Additionally, network segmentation and monitoring of authentication traffic should be implemented as defensive measures to detect potential exploitation attempts.