CVE-2013-3376 in Video Surveillance Operations Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Open redirect vulnerability in the help page in Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager allows remote attackers to redirect users to arbitrary web sites and conduct phishing attacks via a crafted URL, aka Bug ID CSCty74490.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/06/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-3376 represents a critical open redirect flaw within Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager's help page functionality. This security weakness enables remote attackers to manipulate user navigation by crafting specially designed URLs that redirect victims to malicious websites. The vulnerability specifically affects the help page component of the video surveillance management system, which is commonly used by security professionals and administrators for system documentation and support access. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization of URL parameters within the help page implementation, allowing attackers to inject arbitrary redirect destinations without proper authorization checks.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when users click on maliciously crafted links that contain redirect parameters pointing to attacker-controlled domains. The help page in Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager fails to validate the destination URLs against a whitelist of approved domains, creating an avenue for attackers to craft deceptive links that appear legitimate. This allows threat actors to redirect users to phishing sites designed to capture credentials or install malware, leveraging the trust users place in the official help page interface. The vulnerability can be triggered through various means including email attachments, malicious websites, or compromised network infrastructure, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where multiple users access the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple redirection attacks, as it can facilitate sophisticated social engineering campaigns targeting system administrators and security personnel. Organizations using Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager become vulnerable to credential theft, data exfiltration, and system compromise when attackers successfully redirect users to malicious sites. The attack vector is particularly concerning because help pages are frequently accessed by users who may not immediately question the legitimacy of redirect destinations, especially when the initial navigation appears to come from trusted internal sources. This vulnerability undermines the security posture of video surveillance deployments and can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive security infrastructure.
Security practitioners should implement immediate mitigations including network-level filtering to block known malicious redirect patterns and application-level validation of all redirect parameters. The solution involves configuring the application to maintain a strict whitelist of approved redirect destinations and implementing proper URL validation routines that prevent redirection to external domains unless explicitly authorized. Organizations should also consider disabling the help page redirect functionality entirely if it is not essential for operations, or implementing additional authentication checks before allowing any redirect operations. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-601 open redirect vulnerability classification and maps to attack techniques in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1566 credential access tactics, specifically targeting phishing and social engineering approaches that leverage trusted application interfaces. Regular security assessments and input validation reviews should be conducted to prevent similar vulnerabilities in other components of the video surveillance management system.