CVE-2013-6961 in WebEx Meeting Center
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Collaboration Partner Access Console (CPAC) in Cisco WebEx Meeting Center allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL, aka Bug ID CSCul36237.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/22/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-6961 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Cisco WebEx Meeting Center's Collaboration Partner Access Console component. This security weakness resides in the web application's input validation mechanisms, specifically failing to properly sanitize user-supplied data when processing URLs. The vulnerability enables malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of a victim's browser session, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive meeting data and collaboration resources.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of URL parameters passed to the CPAC interface. When users navigate to specially crafted URLs containing malicious payloads, the application fails to adequately filter or escape the input before rendering it in the web interface. This allows attackers to inject JavaScript code that executes in the victim's browser, leveraging the trusted relationship between the user and the WebEx platform. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires no authentication to exploit, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where WebEx is widely used for collaborative meetings and business communications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can facilitate more sophisticated attacks including session hijacking, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation within the WebEx environment. An attacker could potentially steal session cookies, access confidential meeting information, or even redirect users to malicious sites that appear to be legitimate WebEx interfaces. The vulnerability affects organizations using Cisco WebEx Meeting Center, particularly those with collaboration partner access configurations, where the CPAC console serves as a gateway for external collaborators to access meeting resources. This creates a significant risk for enterprises handling sensitive business data, intellectual property, or regulated information within their collaborative workflows.
Organizations should implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate this vulnerability, beginning with immediate patching of affected Cisco WebEx Meeting Center versions. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can provide additional protection by monitoring and filtering suspicious URL patterns before they reach the vulnerable application components. Input validation controls should be strengthened at the application level, implementing proper HTML escaping and sanitization of all user-supplied data. Security awareness training for administrators and users can help identify suspicious URLs and prevent accidental navigation to malicious sites. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and represents a variant of techniques categorized under ATT&CK matrix tactic TA0001 (Initial Access) and technique T1059.007 (Command and Scripting Interpreter). Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar input validation weaknesses in other web applications within the enterprise environment.