CVE-2013-4014 in Maximo Asset Management
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM Maximo Asset Management 6.2 through 6.2.8, 7.1 before 7.1.1.12, and 7.5 before 7.5.0.5 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/23/2018
The CVE-2013-4014 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in IBM Maximo Asset Management software across multiple versions including 6.2 through 6.2.8, 7.1 before 7.1.1.12, and 7.5 before 7.5.0.5. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is a fundamental web application security weakness that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability specifically affects IBM Maximo Asset Management, a comprehensive enterprise asset management solution widely used by organizations for tracking and managing physical assets, maintenance schedules, and operational workflows.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the Maximo application's web interface. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious payloads that are then executed in the context of other users' browsers when they view affected web pages. These unspecified vectors suggest that the vulnerability may manifest through various input points within the application's user interface, potentially including form fields, URL parameters, or any user-controllable input areas where data is rendered back to users without proper sanitization. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple script execution as it can enable session hijacking, credential theft, and other malicious activities that compromise user sessions and system integrity.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations utilizing IBM Maximo Asset Management, as it creates a persistent security risk that can be exploited by remote attackers without requiring authentication or privileged access. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of authenticated users' browsers, potentially leading to complete compromise of user sessions and access to sensitive asset management data. This risk is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where Maximo systems manage critical infrastructure assets, maintenance records, and operational data that organizations rely upon for business continuity. The vulnerability affects the application's core functionality by undermining the trust model between users and the system, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate asset records, access unauthorized information, or disrupt operational workflows through malicious script injection.
Organizations affected by CVE-2013-4014 should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches and updates for the affected IBM Maximo versions, implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms, and deploying web application firewalls to detect and prevent XSS attacks. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Scripting demonstrates the attack surface that enables adversaries to execute malicious code through web-based interfaces. Security teams should also consider implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers, regular security assessments, and user education to reduce the risk of successful exploitation. Organizations should prioritize patch management processes to ensure timely deployment of vendor security updates, as the vulnerability's persistence across multiple major versions indicates a systemic issue that requires comprehensive remediation rather than simple configuration changes.