CVE-2014-0347 in Triton Web Filter
Summary
by MITRE
The Settings module in Websense Triton Unified Security Center 7.7.3 before Hotfix 31, Web Filter 7.7.3 before Hotfix 31, Web Security 7.7.3 before Hotfix 31, Web Security Gateway 7.7.3 before Hotfix 31, and Web Security Gateway Anywhere 7.7.3 before Hotfix 31 allows remote authenticated users to read cleartext passwords by replacing type="password" with type="text" in an INPUT element in the (1) Log Database or (2) User Directories component.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/10/2026
The vulnerability described in CVE-2014-0347 represents a critical security flaw in the Websense Triton Unified Security Center and related products, specifically affecting versions 7.7.3 before Hotfix 31. This issue resides within the Settings module and demonstrates a fundamental failure in input validation and output sanitization mechanisms. The vulnerability allows remote authenticated users to exploit a client-side weakness that exposes sensitive authentication credentials through a simple manipulation of HTML form elements, creating a direct path for credential theft and unauthorized system access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability leverages a common web application security issue where input fields designed to mask password entries are manipulated by replacing the HTML input type attribute from "password" to "text". This manipulation occurs within the Log Database and User Directories components of the affected Websense products, where the application fails to properly validate or sanitize user input before rendering web forms. The flaw specifically targets the client-side presentation layer rather than server-side processing, making it particularly insidious as it bypasses traditional server-side security controls. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-20: Improper Input Validation and CWE-79: Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) categories, as it represents both an input validation failure and a client-side execution vulnerability that can be exploited through user interaction with manipulated HTML elements.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple credential exposure, as it provides attackers with direct access to authentication credentials that can be used for privilege escalation and persistent access to the affected systems. The fact that this requires only remote authenticated access means that an attacker who has already gained some level of access to the system can escalate their privileges significantly by simply manipulating form elements to reveal stored passwords. This vulnerability essentially creates a backdoor for attackers to obtain administrative credentials, potentially leading to complete system compromise and unauthorized access to all network resources protected by the Websense security infrastructure. The exposure of cleartext passwords in web forms represents a severe violation of the principle of least privilege and can lead to cascading security failures throughout the network environment.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including the deployment of the available hotfixes for all affected versions of Websense Triton Unified Security Center and related products. The remediation process must include comprehensive testing to ensure that the hotfixes do not introduce compatibility issues with existing configurations. Additionally, network administrators should conduct thorough audits of all web-based administrative interfaces to identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous user behavior patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability also highlights the importance of implementing proper input sanitization and output encoding practices across all web applications, particularly those handling sensitive authentication data. The incident underscores the necessity of following security best practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks, which emphasize the critical need for proper validation and sanitization of user inputs to prevent such client-side manipulation attacks.