CVE-2013-4802 in Application Lifecycle Management
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in HP Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Quality Center before 11.51 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors, aka ZDI-CAN-1565.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/04/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-4802 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within HP Application Lifecycle Management Quality Center version 11.50 and earlier. This weakness resides in the application's insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML content within the context of legitimate user sessions. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of ALM Quality Center, which serves as a comprehensive test management platform used by organizations to track and manage software quality processes throughout the development lifecycle.
The technical exploitation of this XSS vulnerability occurs through unspecified attack vectors that likely involve manipulation of user input fields or parameters within the web interface. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that, when executed, persist in the application's data storage and subsequently render to other users who access affected pages. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which specifically addresses the failure to properly sanitize user-provided data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web content. The vulnerability's classification aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 - Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell, as it enables attackers to execute malicious scripts within the browser environment of authenticated users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can lead to session hijacking, credential theft, and unauthorized access to sensitive project data within ALM Quality Center. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges, access confidential test results, manipulate test cases, or even gain access to underlying system resources depending on the user's permissions. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on ALM Quality Center for managing critical software development processes, potentially compromising the integrity of their entire quality assurance workflow. The risk is particularly elevated in environments where multiple users interact with the platform and where sensitive intellectual property or regulated data is stored within the system.
Organizations should immediately implement comprehensive mitigation strategies including applying the vendor-provided patch for HP ALM Quality Center 11.51, which addresses the XSS vulnerability through enhanced input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Additional defensive measures should include implementing strict content security policies, enabling proper input sanitization at multiple layers of the application, and conducting regular security assessments of web applications. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect potential exploitation attempts, while user education regarding phishing and social engineering attacks remains crucial. The remediation process should also involve thorough testing of the patch in development environments before deployment to production systems to ensure no regression issues are introduced. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and regular security scanning to detect similar vulnerabilities in other applications within their infrastructure, as this vulnerability type represents a common attack surface that requires ongoing vigilance and proactive security measures.