CVE-2013-6690 in Prime Collaboration
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the web interface in the Assurance component in Cisco Prime Collaboration allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors, aka Bug IDs CSCui92643, CSCui94038, and CSCui94161.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/11/2022
The vulnerability CVE-2013-6690 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Cisco Prime Collaboration's Assurance component web interface. This vulnerability affects the enterprise collaboration platform that organizations use to manage and monitor their unified communications infrastructure. The flaw exists in the web interface component responsible for providing assurance and monitoring capabilities, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to exploit the system's user-facing elements. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it allows remote attackers to execute malicious scripts without requiring authentication, potentially compromising the entire collaboration environment.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the Assurance component's web interface. Attackers can leverage unspecified vectors to inject malicious web script or HTML code that gets executed in the context of other users' browsers. This typically occurs when user-supplied data is not properly sanitized before being rendered in web pages, allowing attackers to manipulate the application's behavior and potentially access sensitive information. The vulnerability manifests in multiple instances as indicated by the referenced bug IDs CSCui92643, CSCui94038, and CSCui94161, suggesting that the flaw exists across different input handling mechanisms within the same component. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities within the compromised environment. Remote attackers could potentially steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, deface web interfaces, or even escalate privileges within the collaboration platform. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not need physical access to the network or system, making it particularly dangerous for organizations with distributed user bases. Given that Cisco Prime Collaboration is designed for enterprise use, successful exploitation could lead to complete compromise of the unified communications infrastructure, affecting voice, video, and messaging services. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a web application attack vector under the technique of code injection, specifically targeting the web application layer of the system.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches from Cisco, which would address the specific XSS vulnerabilities in the Assurance component. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can provide additional layers of protection by filtering malicious traffic before it reaches the vulnerable interface. Input validation should be strengthened throughout the web application to ensure that all user-supplied data is properly sanitized before processing. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities within the broader Cisco Prime Collaboration ecosystem. Administrators should also consider implementing content security policies to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts in browser contexts, providing defense-in-depth against potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security measures and proper input validation practices in enterprise web applications.