CVE-2013-7254 in Opsview
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Opsview before 4.4.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/04/2019
The CVE-2013-7254 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in Opsview versions prior to 4.4.2, exposing organizations to significant web application security risks. Opsview is a comprehensive monitoring solution widely used in enterprise environments for network and system monitoring, making this vulnerability particularly concerning as it affects a critical infrastructure component. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML code into the application, potentially compromising user sessions and data integrity. This issue falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that enables attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of other users' browsers.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the Opsview application's web interface. Attackers can exploit this weakness through unspecified vectors that likely involve user-controllable input fields or parameters within the monitoring dashboard or configuration interfaces. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple script injection as it can enable more sophisticated attacks such as session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. When exploited, the XSS vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the victim's browser, potentially leading to complete compromise of user sessions and unauthorized access to monitoring data. The unspecified vectors suggest that the vulnerability may exist across multiple input points within the application, making it particularly dangerous as defenders cannot easily predict all potential attack surfaces.
Organizations utilizing Opsview versions prior to 4.4.2 face substantial operational risks from this vulnerability, as it could enable attackers to gain unauthorized access to critical monitoring information and potentially escalate privileges within the monitoring environment. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that Opsview typically handles sensitive operational data, including system status information, network performance metrics, and configuration details that could be valuable to adversaries. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors can exploit this vulnerability from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to the network. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious HTML emails and could be leveraged for credential theft or privilege escalation within the monitoring infrastructure. Organizations may also face compliance violations if this vulnerability results in unauthorized access to regulated data, particularly in industries governed by standards such as pci dss, hipaa, or iso 27001.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves immediately upgrading to Opsview version 4.4.2 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the XSS vulnerability. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures including input validation, output encoding, and content security policies to reduce the impact of potential exploitation attempts. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any other potential XSS vulnerabilities within their monitoring infrastructure and related applications. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can provide additional layers of protection while the primary upgrade is being implemented. Regular security testing, including automated scanning and manual penetration testing, should be performed to ensure that similar vulnerabilities are not present in other components of the monitoring ecosystem. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing robust security practices throughout the application lifecycle to prevent such critical weaknesses from being exploited in operational environments.