CVE-2013-3281 in Documentum Digital Asset Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in EMC Documentum Webtop before 6.7 SP2 P07, Documentum WDK before 6.7 SP2 P07, Documentum Taskspace before 6.7 SP2 P07, Documentum Records Manager before 6.7 SP2 P07, Documentum Web Publisher before 6.5 SP7, Documentum Digital Asset Manager before 6.5 SP6, Documentum Administrator before 6.7 SP2 P07, and Documentum Capital Projects before 1.8 P01 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted parameter in a URL.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/26/2024
The CVE-2013-3281 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting multiple components of EMC Documentum enterprise content management platform. This vulnerability resides in the web-based interfaces of various Documentum modules including Webtop, WDK, Taskspace, Records Manager, Web Publisher, Digital Asset Manager, Administrator, and Capital Projects. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of authenticated users' browsers, potentially leading to complete session hijacking and unauthorized access to sensitive enterprise content. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user input parameters within URL strings, creating an avenue for persistent script injection attacks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the Documentum web applications. When users navigate to URLs containing maliciously crafted parameters, the application processes these inputs without sufficient sanitization, allowing attacker-controlled scripts to be executed in the victim's browser context. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which specifically addresses the failure to properly encode or escape user-controllable data before including it in web responses. The flaw demonstrates poor secure coding practices where input data flows directly into output without proper context-appropriate encoding or validation.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-3281 extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable sophisticated attack chains leveraging the attacker's ability to manipulate authenticated user sessions. An attacker could craft malicious URLs that, when clicked by an authenticated user, would execute scripts to steal session cookies, modify content, or redirect users to phishing sites. This vulnerability particularly threatens enterprise environments where Documentum serves as a central content management system, as successful exploitation could provide access to sensitive business documents, intellectual property, and confidential communications. The attack surface is broad given the multiple affected components and the fact that these applications typically serve privileged users with elevated access rights to enterprise content repositories.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-3281 should prioritize immediate patching of all affected Documentum components to the specified service packs and patches, specifically targeting versions before 6.7 SP2 P07 for most modules and the corresponding service pack releases for other affected products. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation at multiple layers including web application firewalls, application-level sanitization, and output encoding mechanisms. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional defense-in-depth measures to prevent unauthorized script execution. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious URL patterns and potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability also highlights the importance of adhering to secure coding practices aligned with NIST SP 800-160 and OWASP Top 10 guidelines, particularly focusing on input validation and output encoding as fundamental defensive measures against XSS attacks. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1059.007 - Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, emphasizing the execution of malicious code through web-based attack vectors.