CVE-2013-6970 in WebEx Meeting Center
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco WebEx Meeting Center allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information by reading verbose error messages within server responses, aka Bug ID CSCul35928.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/12/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-6970 affects Cisco WebEx Meeting Center, a widely used web conferencing platform that enables organizations to conduct virtual meetings and collaborate remotely. This security flaw resides in the server-side response handling mechanisms of the WebEx Meeting Center application, specifically within the error message generation and presentation logic. The vulnerability represents a classic information disclosure issue that occurs when the system fails to properly sanitize error messages before returning them to client applications, thereby exposing potentially sensitive internal system information to unauthorized parties.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to adequately filter or mask error details within server responses. When the WebEx Meeting Center encounters certain processing errors or validation failures, it generates verbose error messages that contain detailed information about the internal system state, including file paths, database connection details, application architecture components, and potentially even stack traces. These error messages are transmitted directly to the requesting client without proper sanitization, allowing attackers to extract sensitive information that could aid in subsequent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the application layer, where error handling mechanisms are often not properly secured against information leakage.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the leaked information can significantly aid threat actors in planning more sophisticated attacks against the WebEx environment. Attackers who can obtain detailed error messages may gain insights into the underlying system architecture, including version information, internal directory structures, and potentially database schemas. This information can be leveraged to identify other potential vulnerabilities within the same system or related applications, as well as to tailor more effective exploitation techniques. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality aspect of the CIA triad, as it allows unauthorized parties to access information that should remain private and protected. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-209, which specifically addresses "Information Exposure Through an Error Message," and it aligns with ATT&CK technique T1212, which covers "Exploitation for Credential Access" through information gathering activities.
Organizations utilizing Cisco WebEx Meeting Center should implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability, beginning with the deployment of proper error handling procedures that sanitize all error messages before transmission to client applications. The most effective approach involves configuring the WebEx server to return generic, non-descriptive error messages to clients while maintaining detailed logging of these errors internally for administrative purposes. System administrators should also consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block potentially malicious requests that might trigger verbose error responses. Additionally, regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to ensure that error handling mechanisms properly sanitize all output, and that the system does not inadvertently expose internal system information through error reporting. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of proper error handling design in web applications and serves as a reminder that seemingly benign error messages can provide attackers with valuable reconnaissance information.