CVE-2013-3375 in Prime Central for Hosted Collaboration Solution
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the portal page in Cisco Prime Central for Hosted Collaboration Solution allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL, aka Bug ID CSCue23798.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/27/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-3375 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Cisco Prime Central for Hosted Collaboration Solution, specifically affecting the portal page component. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that enables attackers to inject malicious client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The flaw exists in the way the application processes and renders user-supplied input within the portal page context, creating an avenue for persistent code execution attacks.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of URL parameters that are not properly sanitized or validated by the application's input processing mechanisms. Attackers can craft malicious URLs containing encoded script payloads that, when processed by the vulnerable portal page, get executed within the browser context of authenticated users. This allows for the execution of arbitrary web scripts or HTML code, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized access to sensitive corporate data. The vulnerability specifically targets the hosted collaboration solution's portal interface, which serves as a central access point for users to interact with the collaboration services.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable sophisticated attack chains that compromise the entire collaboration environment. Remote attackers can leverage this flaw to establish persistent access to the system, potentially leading to full compromise of the hosted collaboration solution. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires no local access or authentication, making it accessible to any remote user who can influence the target's URL parameters. This vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of user sessions, potentially allowing attackers to impersonate legitimate users and access sensitive collaboration data. The attack surface is broad as the portal page serves as a primary interface for user interaction, making it a high-value target for exploitation.
Organizations should implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate this vulnerability, beginning with immediate patching of affected Cisco Prime Central installations to the latest security releases. Input validation and output encoding mechanisms must be strengthened to prevent malicious scripts from being executed within the application context, following established security practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation, while security monitoring systems should be configured to detect suspicious URL patterns and script injection attempts. Additionally, user education regarding the dangers of clicking untrusted links and the importance of maintaining updated software versions remains critical. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input sanitization and the principle of least privilege in web application security, aligning with ATT&CK techniques related to initial access and execution through web-based attacks.