CVE-2013-6711 in WebEx Sales Center
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the product-creation administrative page in Cisco WebEx Sales Center allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL, aka Bug ID CSCul25540.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/12/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-6711 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Cisco WebEx Sales Center's administrative product-creation interface. This security weakness resides in the handling of user-supplied input during product creation processes, where the application fails to properly sanitize or validate URL parameters before incorporating them into web responses. The vulnerability specifically affects the administrative section of the platform, making it particularly dangerous as it provides attackers with potential access to privileged functions within the sales center environment. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of authenticated users' browsers, potentially compromising the entire administrative session and underlying data integrity.
The technical exploitation of this XSS vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious URL containing embedded script code that gets processed and rendered within the product-creation administrative page. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a weakness where untrusted data is sent to a web browser without proper validation or escaping, allowing attackers to inject malicious client-side scripts. The vulnerability's classification as a persistent XSS vector means that the malicious code can be stored on the server and executed whenever affected users access the compromised page, making it particularly dangerous for administrative interfaces where privileged operations occur.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform unauthorized actions within the WebEx Sales Center administrative environment. Successful exploitation could enable attackers to modify product information, access sensitive customer data, manipulate sales records, or potentially escalate privileges within the platform. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of the sales center's administrative functions, potentially leading to data breaches, financial losses, and reputational damage for organizations relying on Cisco WebEx Sales Center for their business operations. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that administrative pages typically contain sensitive information and control mechanisms that should remain protected from unauthorized access.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the WebEx Sales Center application. Organizations should ensure that all user-supplied data, particularly URL parameters and form inputs, are properly sanitized before being processed or displayed within the administrative interface. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against XSS attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts can be loaded. Additionally, regular security updates and patches from Cisco should be applied immediately upon availability, as this vulnerability was addressed in subsequent releases of the WebEx Sales Center platform. Security monitoring should include detection of suspicious URL patterns and automated scanning for XSS vulnerabilities within administrative interfaces, following ATT&CK framework techniques related to credential access and privilege escalation through web application vulnerabilities.