CVE-2014-0176 in CloudForms 3.0 Management Engine
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in application/panel_control in CloudForms 3.0 Management Engine (CFME) before 5.2.4.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/24/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-0176 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the CloudForms 3.0 Management Engine application panel control component. This issue affects versions prior to 5.2.4.2 and exposes the system to remote code execution through malicious web script injection attacks. The vulnerability resides in the application/panel_control module, which serves as a critical interface for system management and user interaction within the CloudForms environment. CloudForms is a comprehensive cloud management platform that provides orchestration, automation, and monitoring capabilities for enterprise cloud deployments, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations relying on its security controls.
The technical nature of this XSS vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the panel_control application component. Attackers can exploit unspecified vectors to inject malicious scripts or HTML content that will execute within the context of other users' browsers who interact with the affected interface. This flaw allows adversaries to bypass standard security measures designed to protect against malicious code execution, potentially enabling session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized access to sensitive management functions. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited without requiring authentication or privileged access to the underlying system, making it particularly dangerous for multi-tenant cloud environments where multiple users share the same management interface.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-0176 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can compromise the integrity of the entire CloudForms management interface. Successful exploitation could enable attackers to manipulate user sessions, steal administrative credentials, or gain unauthorized access to cloud resources managed through the platform. The vulnerability affects the core management engine functionality, potentially disrupting cloud operations and exposing sensitive configuration data, user information, and system monitoring capabilities. Organizations using CloudForms for critical infrastructure management face significant risks including data breaches, unauthorized resource access, and potential compromise of their entire cloud management ecosystem. This vulnerability directly impacts the principle of least privilege and can undermine the security posture of cloud environments that depend on CloudForms for operational control.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation by upgrading to CloudForms 5.2.4.2 or later versions that contain the necessary security patches addressing this XSS vulnerability. System administrators should implement additional network-level protections including web application firewalls and input validation rules to mitigate potential exploitation attempts. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns in panel_control access requests and malformed input attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script injection attacks. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to verify the effectiveness of implemented mitigations and ensure no other similar vulnerabilities exist within the CloudForms deployment. Additionally, user education regarding suspicious web content and proper security practices remains essential for comprehensive defense against such exploitation vectors.