CVE-2013-4453 in LDAP Account Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in templates/login.php in LDAP Account Manager (LAM) 4.3 and 4.2.1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the language parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/23/2018
The CVE-2013-4453 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in LDAP Account Manager version 4.3 and 4.2.1 within the templates/login.php file. This vulnerability specifically targets the language parameter handling mechanism, creating an avenue for remote attackers to execute malicious web scripts or HTML code within the context of authenticated user sessions. The flaw resides in the application's insufficient input validation and output sanitization processes, particularly when processing user-supplied language parameters during the login authentication flow.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the improper handling of user input where the language parameter is directly incorporated into the web page output without adequate sanitization or encoding. When an attacker submits malicious script code through the language parameter, the application fails to properly escape or validate this input before rendering it within the HTML response. This creates a persistent XSS vector that can be leveraged to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the victim's browser, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or other malicious activities. The vulnerability is classified as a classic reflected XSS issue according to CWE-79, which specifically addresses the improper handling of untrusted data in web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it enables sophisticated attack vectors that can compromise user sessions and potentially escalate to full system compromise. Attackers can craft malicious URLs containing script payloads that, when clicked by authenticated users, execute code in their browser context. This allows for session token theft, privilege escalation, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability affects the authentication process specifically, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by attackers to gain unauthorized access to user accounts or to manipulate the login interface itself. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 for scripting and T1531 for lateral movement through compromised sessions.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-4453 require immediate implementation of proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The primary remediation involves sanitizing all user-supplied input parameters, particularly those used in dynamic content generation, through proper HTML entity encoding before rendering. Organizations should implement strict parameter validation to ensure language parameters only accept predefined, whitelisted values from a controlled list of supported languages. Additionally, the implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks by restricting script execution. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security audits and input validation testing, as it demonstrates how seemingly innocuous parameters can create significant security risks when not properly handled. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities across their LDAP infrastructure and related web applications.