CVE-2012-3313 in Tivoli Federated Identity Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM Maximo Asset Management 6.2 through 7.5, as used in SmartCloud Control Desk, Tivoli Asset Management for IT, Tivoli Service Request Manager, Maximo Service Desk, and Change and Configuration Management Database (CCMDB), allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/07/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-3313 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting multiple IBM Maximo products including Asset Management 6.2 through 7.5 and related systems such as SmartCloud Control Desk, Tivoli Asset Management for IT, Tivoli Service Request Manager, Maximo Service Desk, and Change and Configuration Management Database. This vulnerability resides within the web application layer of these enterprise asset management platforms, which are widely deployed across enterprise environments for critical business operations. The flaw specifically enables remote attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML content into the application's response, potentially compromising user sessions and data integrity. The affected systems process user input without adequate sanitization or validation, creating an exploitable entry point for malicious actors seeking to leverage this vulnerability for unauthorized access or data manipulation.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the web application's processing pipeline. Attackers can exploit unspecified vectors to inject malicious code that executes in the context of other users' browsers when they view affected pages. This typically occurs when user-supplied data is directly incorporated into web responses without proper sanitization, allowing attackers to manipulate the application's behavior through crafted input payloads. The vulnerability manifests across multiple IBM Maximo products, indicating a systemic issue in the application's security architecture rather than isolated component flaws. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that these systems handle sensitive business data including asset information, service requests, and configuration management details that are critical to enterprise operations. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws in web applications, where improper handling of untrusted data leads to execution of malicious scripts in user browsers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or session hijacking, potentially enabling attackers to perform privilege escalation, data manipulation, or complete system compromise within affected enterprise environments. When exploited, the XSS vulnerability allows attackers to execute malicious scripts that can steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, modify page content, or harvest sensitive information from authenticated sessions. The widespread deployment of these IBM Maximo products across various enterprise sectors including manufacturing, utilities, and government agencies creates a significant risk profile, as successful exploitation could affect critical infrastructure management systems. Organizations using these platforms face potential business disruption, regulatory compliance violations, and financial losses due to unauthorized access to sensitive asset management data. The vulnerability's exploitation capability means that even unauthenticated attackers could potentially gain access to restricted information or manipulate system functionality through carefully crafted malicious payloads.
Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies including immediate patch deployment for all affected IBM Maximo versions, enhanced input validation mechanisms, and proper output encoding for all user-supplied data. The remediation approach should align with industry best practices for XSS prevention, including implementing Content Security Policy headers, using proper HTML encoding for output, and establishing robust input validation routines. Security teams must also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments across all deployed instances of these systems to identify any potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should enhance their monitoring capabilities to detect suspicious user activities and implement network segmentation to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation. The mitigation strategy should follow ATT&CK framework principles for defensive measures against web application attacks, focusing on input validation, output encoding, and access controls. Regular security awareness training for administrators and developers is essential to prevent future occurrences of similar vulnerabilities in custom applications built on these platforms.