CVE-2012-3316 in SmartCloud Control Desk
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Tivoli Process Automation Engine (TPAE) in IBM Maximo Asset Management 6.2 through 7.5, Maximo Asset Management Essentials 6.2 through 7.5, Tivoli Asset Management for IT 6.2 through 7.2, Tivoli Service Request Manager 7.1 and 7.2, Maximo Service Desk 6.2, Change and Configuration Management Database (CCMDB) 7.1 and 7.2, and SmartCloud Control Desk 7.5 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/09/2017
The CVE-2012-3316 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within IBM's Tivoli Process Automation Engine ecosystem, affecting multiple enterprise asset management solutions including Maximo Asset Management, Tivoli Asset Management for IT, and Tivoli Service Request Manager. This vulnerability resides in the core automation engine that powers these enterprise applications, making it particularly dangerous as it can impact organizations relying on these platforms for mission-critical operations. The flaw affects versions ranging from 6.2 through 7.5 across various IBM Maximo product lines, indicating a widespread issue that spans multiple product families and release versions. The vulnerability's presence in the TPAE component is especially concerning as this engine serves as the foundation for business process automation and data management within these systems, making it a prime target for exploitation.
The technical nature of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the web application interfaces of these IBM products. Attackers can exploit this weakness by injecting malicious scripts or HTML content through unspecified vectors that likely involve user-controllable parameters in web forms, URL parameters, or data input fields. The vulnerability specifically affects authenticated users, meaning that an attacker must first gain valid credentials to the system, though this requirement does not diminish the threat level given that many enterprise environments face credential compromise through phishing, social engineering, or brute force attacks. The attack vector typically involves manipulating input fields or parameters that are then reflected back to users without proper sanitization, allowing malicious code to execute in the context of other users' browsers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it provides attackers with the ability to execute arbitrary code in the browsers of authenticated users. This capability enables a range of malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation within the affected systems. When combined with other vulnerabilities or attack techniques, this XSS flaw can serve as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks such as lateral movement within the enterprise network or privilege escalation to administrative accounts. Organizations using these IBM Maximo products face significant risk of unauthorized access to sensitive asset management data, service desk records, and configuration information that could compromise business continuity and regulatory compliance. The vulnerability's presence in multiple product lines also means that attackers can potentially leverage a single exploit across different departments or business units within an organization.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and output encoding controls, web application firewalls, and comprehensive user access controls to limit the potential impact of this vulnerability. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script execution and T1566 for credential access through social engineering. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in the broader application ecosystem, while patch management processes should be enhanced to ensure timely deployment of vendor security updates. Additionally, security awareness training for administrators and end-users can help prevent initial compromise through phishing or credential theft attacks that might exploit this vulnerability.