CVE-2013-2999 in InfoSphere Data Replication Dashboard
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM InfoSphere Data Replication Dashboard 9.7 and 10.1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors. IBM X-Force ID: 84115.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/05/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-2999 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within IBM InfoSphere Data Replication Dashboard versions 9.7 and 10.1. This security weakness enables remote attackers to execute malicious web scripts or HTML code within the context of affected systems, potentially compromising user sessions and data integrity. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before processing and rendering within the dashboard interface. The unspecified attack vectors suggest that multiple entry points within the application may be susceptible to this type of injection attack, making the exploitation surface broader than initially apparent.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability demonstrates a classic failure in web application security controls, specifically violating the fundamental principle of input sanitization and output encoding. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-79 which describes "Cross-site Scripting" as a condition where a web application fails to properly validate or encode user-provided data before including it in dynamically generated web pages. The impact of such a flaw extends beyond simple script execution to potentially enable session hijacking, credential theft, and unauthorized data manipulation within the targeted environment. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to craft malicious payloads that persist within the application's user interface, affecting all users who interact with the vulnerable dashboard components.
Operationally, the exploitation of CVE-2013-2999 could result in significant security breaches within organizations relying on IBM InfoSphere Data Replication Dashboard for critical data management tasks. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors can exploit this vulnerability from outside the corporate network without requiring local access or authentication credentials. This characteristic aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which describes social engineering attacks that leverage web-based vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access to systems. The vulnerability's presence in data replication dashboard applications poses particular risk because these systems often handle sensitive operational data and may be used to monitor critical infrastructure components, potentially allowing attackers to gain insights into business processes and data flows.
Organizations utilizing affected versions of IBM InfoSphere Data Replication Dashboard should implement immediate mitigations including input validation enhancements, output encoding mechanisms, and regular security assessments of web application components. The recommended approach involves deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious script injection attempts, implementing content security policies to restrict script execution, and conducting comprehensive code reviews to identify additional potential injection points. IBM's official security advisories should be consulted for specific patch deployment guidance, as the vendor would have developed targeted fixes addressing the root cause of the XSS vulnerability. Additionally, security teams should establish monitoring procedures to detect anomalous user behavior patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts and implement proper incident response protocols to address potential compromise scenarios.