CVE-2013-5649 in Junos Pulse Secure Access Service
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Juniper Junos Pulse Secure Access Service (aka SSL VPN) with IVE OS 7.1 before 7.1r15, 7.2 before 7.2r11, 7.3 before 7.3r6, and 7.4 before 7.4r3 allow (1) remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via vectors involving login pages, and allow (2) remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via vectors involving a support page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/24/2021
The CVE-2013-5649 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Juniper Junos Pulse Secure Access Service implementations running on IVE OS versions prior to specific patch releases. This vulnerability resides within the web interface components of the SSL VPN service, specifically targeting the authentication and support page functionalities. The flaw enables malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of authenticated user sessions, potentially compromising the entire secure access infrastructure. The vulnerability affects multiple version streams including 7.1 through 7.4, demonstrating the widespread nature of this security weakness across the product line.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the web application's user interface components. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious payloads that are processed through the login pages and support page functionalities. The vulnerability manifests as two distinct attack vectors: one targeting unauthenticated remote attackers who can manipulate login page parameters, and another targeting authenticated users who can inject malicious content through support page interactions. This dual-vector approach significantly expands the potential attack surface and increases the likelihood of successful exploitation. The flaw directly corresponds to CWE-79, which defines cross-site scripting vulnerabilities as the improper handling of untrusted data within web applications.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-5649 extends beyond simple data theft or session hijacking, as it provides attackers with a foothold for more sophisticated attacks within the network perimeter. Once exploited, attackers can potentially escalate privileges, access sensitive internal resources, or establish persistent backdoors through the compromised authentication mechanisms. The vulnerability's ability to affect both anonymous and authenticated users creates a particularly dangerous scenario where even legitimate users could inadvertently expose themselves to attacks. This weakness undermines the fundamental security guarantees that SSL VPN services are designed to provide, potentially allowing attackers to bypass network segmentation and access restricted corporate resources.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected systems to the recommended versions 7.1r15, 7.2r11, 7.3r6, and 7.4r3. Organizations should implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts, while also reviewing access controls and user permissions to minimize potential damage from successful attacks. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers social engineering attacks including credential access through phishing, and T1071.004 which covers application layer protocol usage for command and control communications. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls and input validation measures as additional defensive controls to protect against similar vulnerabilities in the future. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify and remediate similar weaknesses before they can be exploited by malicious actors.