CVE-2012-5200 in Intelligent Management Center
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in HP Intelligent Management Center (iMC) and Intelligent Management Center for Automated Network Manager (ANM) before 5.2 E0401 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/30/2021
The CVE-2012-5200 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in Hewlett Packard's Intelligent Management Center (iMC) and Intelligent Management Center for Automated Network Manager (ANM) software versions prior to 5.2 E0401. This vulnerability affects the core web application interface of these network management platforms, which are widely deployed in enterprise environments for monitoring and managing network infrastructure. The flaw enables remote authenticated attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of legitimate user sessions, potentially compromising the security of network management operations.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the web application's user interface components. Attackers with valid authentication credentials can leverage this weakness to inject malicious JavaScript code or HTML content into web pages that are subsequently rendered for other users. The unspecified vectors suggest that the vulnerability may exist across multiple input points within the application's web interface, including form fields, URL parameters, or dynamic content generation mechanisms. This broad attack surface increases the exploitability and potential impact of the vulnerability.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-5200 extends beyond simple script injection, as authenticated attackers can potentially escalate their privileges and access sensitive network management functions. In enterprise environments where iMC and ANM systems manage critical network infrastructure, this vulnerability could enable attackers to manipulate network configurations, access confidential network data, or redirect users to malicious sites. The authenticated nature of the attack means that attackers must first obtain valid user credentials, but this requirement does not significantly reduce the threat level given that many organizations store credentials in accessible locations or may experience credential theft through other attack vectors.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and maps to multiple ATT&CK techniques including T1059.007 for command and script injection and T1566 for credential harvesting. Organizations using these HP management platforms face significant risk of data exfiltration, privilege escalation, and potential network compromise. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and output encoding in web applications, particularly those managing sensitive infrastructure data. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems and implement additional security controls including web application firewalls and regular security assessments to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities.
The remediation strategy for CVE-2012-5200 requires immediate deployment of HP's official security patches for iMC and ANM versions before 5.2 E0401. System administrators should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. Regular security auditing of web applications and input validation mechanisms remains essential for maintaining defense-in-depth posture against similar vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing security awareness training to reduce the risk of credential compromise that could enable exploitation of this and related XSS vulnerabilities.