CVE-2012-4844 in Lotus Domino
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the web server in IBM Lotus Domino 8.5.x through 8.5.3 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/26/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-4844 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within IBM Lotus Domino web server components, specifically affecting versions 8.5 through 8.5.3. This vulnerability resides in the web server functionality that processes incoming HTTP requests and generates web responses, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute unauthorized code within the context of user sessions. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before it is rendered in web pages. The unspecified vectors suggest that multiple entry points within the web server implementation could be exploited, potentially including form fields, URL parameters, or HTTP headers that are processed by the Domino server's web interface.
The technical exploitation of this XSS vulnerability enables attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the victim's browser when they access compromised web pages. This occurs because the web server does not adequately filter or escape special characters in user-provided content before rendering it in HTML output. Attackers can leverage this weakness to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of users, redirect victims to malicious websites, or even deface web applications. The vulnerability's impact is particularly severe in environments where Lotus Domino serves as a corporate web server hosting sensitive applications or portals where users have elevated privileges. The flaw operates at the application layer and can be classified under CWE-79 as Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which is a well-documented weakness in web application security.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on IBM Lotus Domino for their web services. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation can occur from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to the network or server infrastructure. The attack surface is broad since the vulnerability affects the core web server functionality, potentially impacting all web applications hosted on the affected Domino servers. Organizations may experience unauthorized data access, privilege escalation, or complete compromise of web applications where user authentication is required. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 for "Run-time Application Masking" and T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript" as attackers can leverage the XSS to execute JavaScript code in user browsers. Security teams face the challenge of identifying all potentially vulnerable web applications within the Domino environment and implementing comprehensive remediation strategies.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-4844 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Lotus Domino versions with the vendor-provided security fixes. Organizations should also implement robust input validation mechanisms, including strict sanitization of all user inputs and proper HTML encoding of output data. Web application firewalls can provide additional protection by filtering suspicious requests before they reach the vulnerable web server components. Regular security assessments should be conducted to identify other potential XSS vulnerabilities within the Domino environment, and security awareness training should be provided to administrators to recognize and respond to such threats. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can further reduce the impact of successful XSS attacks by limiting the sources from which scripts can be loaded. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation to limit the potential damage from successful exploitation and maintain detailed monitoring logs to detect suspicious activities related to web server access patterns.