CVE-2013-5092 in Firewall Analyzer
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in afa/php/Login.php in AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer 6.1-b86 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the PATH_INFO.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/23/2024
The CVE-2013-5092 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer version 6.1-b86, specifically affecting the afa/php/Login.php component. This vulnerability resides in the application's handling of PATH_INFO parameters, which are typically used to pass additional information to PHP scripts through the URL path. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute malicious web scripts or HTML code within the context of authenticated user sessions, potentially compromising the entire application environment. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects the login page component, which serves as the primary entry point for administrative access to the firewall analysis system.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious URL containing crafted script code within the PATH_INFO portion of the request. When the vulnerable application processes this input without proper sanitization or output encoding, the malicious code gets executed in the victim's browser context. This allows attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation within the application. The vulnerability maps to CWE-79, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, as it enables attackers to inject and execute arbitrary scripts within the victim's browser environment. The PATH_INFO parameter handling demonstrates a classic input validation failure where user-supplied data is not properly filtered or escaped before being rendered in the application's output.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can lead to complete compromise of the Firewall Analyzer application and potentially the underlying network infrastructure it manages. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain unauthorized access to firewall rules, network configurations, and security policies managed by the system. The vulnerability affects both authenticated and unauthenticated users, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited without prior login credentials. This creates a significant risk for organizations relying on AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer for critical network security operations, as the attacker could potentially manipulate firewall configurations or exfiltrate sensitive network security data. The vulnerability also impacts the integrity of the application's authentication system, potentially allowing attackers to bypass security controls and escalate privileges.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-5092 should focus on immediate patching of the AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer application to the latest available version that addresses this vulnerability. Organizations should implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application to prevent similar issues in the future. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against XSS attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts can be loaded. Regular security assessments and input validation testing should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other components of the application. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious activities related to login page access patterns. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of following secure coding practices as outlined in OWASP Top Ten and NIST SP 800-53 security guidelines, particularly focusing on input validation, output encoding, and secure session management to prevent such critical flaws from being introduced into web applications.