CVE-2013-2969 in Sterling Control Center
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM Sterling Control Center (SCC) 5.2 before 5.2.0.9, 5.3 before 5.3.0.4, and 5.4 through 5.4.0.1 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via vectors involving invalid characters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/12/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-2969 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within IBM Sterling Control Center versions 5.2 through 5.4, specifically affecting releases prior to 5.2.0.9, 5.3.0.4, and 5.4.0.1 respectively. This security weakness resides in the application's handling of user input validation mechanisms, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of authenticated user sessions. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the system processes invalid characters within user-supplied data, bypassing intended sanitization controls that should prevent such malicious content from being stored or executed.
From a technical perspective, the flaw operates through improper input validation and sanitization processes within the SCC application's web interface components. When authenticated users submit data containing invalid characters that are not properly filtered or escaped, the system fails to adequately sanitize these inputs before rendering them in web pages. This allows attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of victims. The vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, particularly focusing on script injection methods.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends significantly beyond simple data corruption, as authenticated users with valid credentials can be exploited to gain unauthorized access to sensitive business processes managed by the Sterling Control Center. Attackers leveraging this flaw could potentially access confidential business data, manipulate transaction processing workflows, or compromise the integrity of the entire control center environment. The authenticated nature of the attack means that adversaries must first obtain legitimate user credentials, but once achieved, they can leverage this vulnerability to escalate their privileges and access additional system resources. Organizations utilizing SCC for mission-critical supply chain operations face substantial risk of operational disruption and data compromise.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-2969 should prioritize immediate patch deployment to the affected versions, with IBM releasing updates specifically addressing the input validation gaps. Organizations should implement additional defensive measures including comprehensive input sanitization, output encoding, and strict content security policies to prevent script execution. Web application firewalls should be configured to detect and block suspicious input patterns, while regular security assessments should validate that all user inputs are properly sanitized before processing. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing robust input validation controls, as highlighted in industry best practices for preventing XSS attacks and aligning with security frameworks such as NIST SP 800-160 and ISO 27001 standards for secure application development and deployment practices.