CVE-2013-0506 in Sterling Selling And Fulfillment Foundation
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM Sterling Order Management 8.0 before HF127, 8.5 before HF89, 9.0 before HF69, 9.1.0 before FP41, and 9.2.0 before FP13 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/06/2018
The CVE-2013-0506 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in IBM Sterling Order Management software across multiple version lines including 8.0, 8.5, 9.0, 9.1, and 9.2. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is a fundamental web application security weakness that enables attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability specifically affects IBM Sterling Order Management systems before the specified hotfix releases, making numerous enterprise deployments susceptible to this attack vector. The flaw is particularly concerning because it allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code, potentially compromising the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive business data within the order management ecosystem.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the IBM Sterling Order Management application. Attackers with valid authentication credentials can exploit this weakness through unspecified vectors that likely involve user-controllable input fields or parameters within the order management interface. These vectors may include order entry forms, product descriptions, customer information fields, or any other data input mechanisms where user-supplied content is processed and subsequently rendered to other users. The vulnerability's classification as a persistent XSS issue means that malicious scripts injected through this flaw can be stored on the server and executed whenever affected pages are accessed by other users, creating a prolonged attack surface that can persist long after the initial compromise.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-0506 extends far beyond simple script injection, as it creates multiple attack pathways for threat actors to compromise enterprise order management systems. Organizations utilizing affected IBM Sterling Order Management versions face significant risks including potential data theft, session hijacking, and unauthorized access to sensitive customer and business information. The vulnerability's ability to affect multiple major versions of the software indicates a systemic flaw in the application's security architecture that could be exploited to gain deeper access to enterprise networks. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or even execute commands on the affected systems, depending on the broader security posture and network architecture.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including applying the relevant hotfixes and service packs released by IBM to address this vulnerability. The recommended approach involves upgrading to the patched versions HF127 for 8.0, HF89 for 8.5, HF69 for 9.0, FP41 for 9.1.0, and FP13 for 9.2.0. Additionally, implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms can provide defense-in-depth measures while awaiting official patches. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious user activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers social engineering attacks, as attackers may use the XSS capability to manipulate users into executing malicious code within the context of their authenticated sessions. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing to ensure that the hotfixes do not introduce compatibility issues with existing business processes, particularly within order processing workflows that are critical to business operations.