CVE-2013-6328 in WebSphere Portal
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Web Content Manager (WCM) UI in IBM WebSphere Portal 6.1.0.x through 6.1.0.6 CF27, 6.1.5.x through 6.1.5.3 CF27, 7.0.0.x through 7.0.0.2 CF26, and 8.0.0.x before 8.0.0.1 CF09 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via vectors involving IFRAME elements.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/25/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-6328 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within IBM WebSphere Portal's Web Content Manager user interface components. This weakness exists in multiple versions of the portal software including 6.1.0.x through 6.1.0.6 CF27, 6.1.5.x through 6.1.5.3 CF27, 7.0.0.x through 7.0.0.2 CF26, and 8.0.0.x before 8.0.0.1 CF09. The vulnerability specifically affects the handling of IFRAME elements within the web content management interface, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code. This flaw falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that allows attackers to inject client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the Web Content Manager's user interface components. When administrators or content creators interact with the WCM UI to manage web content, the system fails to properly sanitize or escape IFRAME elements that contain user-supplied data. This inadequate sanitization process creates an environment where malicious actors can craft specially crafted IFRAME content that includes JavaScript payloads or HTML code. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates within the administrative interface where users have elevated privileges, potentially allowing attackers to execute code with the privileges of authenticated users. The attack vector involves manipulating IFRAME elements through the portal's content management functionality, which then gets rendered in the browser without proper security filtering.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, potentially enabling sophisticated attack scenarios that could compromise entire portal environments. Remote attackers could leverage this weakness to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions within the portal, or redirect users to malicious websites. The implications are particularly severe for organizations relying on WebSphere Portal for business-critical content management, as successful exploitation could lead to complete compromise of the content management system. Attackers might use this vulnerability to inject persistent XSS payloads that remain active until the affected system is patched or the content is manually removed. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for privilege escalation attacks, where attackers could potentially gain administrative access to the portal through the exploitation of this XSS weakness. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1531 - Account Access Token, as it could enable attackers to hijack authenticated sessions and maintain persistent access to the portal environment.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the relevant security patches provided by IBM, which address the input validation issues within the Web Content Manager interface. The patching process should be prioritized based on the criticality of the affected systems and the potential attack surface within the organization. Additional defensive measures include implementing strict content security policies, enabling proper input validation at multiple layers, and conducting thorough security reviews of all user-supplied content before it is rendered within the portal interface. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect potential exploitation attempts, while regular security assessments should be performed to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the WebSphere Portal environment. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks targeting the portal's administrative interface. The remediation process must include comprehensive testing to ensure that the applied patches do not introduce compatibility issues with existing portal functionality while maintaining the security posture of the overall system.