CVE-2014-3032 in Tivoli Netcool
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Web GUI in IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus 7.3.0 before 7.3.0.6, 7.3.1 before 7.3.1.7, and 7.4.0 before 7.4.0.3 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/02/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-3032 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Web GUI component of IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus software across multiple versions. This vulnerability affects the 7.3.0, 7.3.1, and 7.4.0 release series, specifically before the mentioned patch levels. The flaw exists in the web interface that administrators and authorized users interact with to manage and monitor network operations, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on this monitoring platform.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding within the web GUI's URL handling mechanism. When authenticated users navigate to specially crafted URLs containing malicious script code, the system fails to properly sanitize or escape the input before rendering it in the web interface. This allows attackers who have gained authentication credentials to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of other users' browser sessions. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the application processes URL parameters without sufficient sanitization, enabling the injection of malicious payloads that can be executed in the victim's browser environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can be exploited to perform various malicious activities within the compromised environment. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, modify web page content, or even perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The risk is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus is used for critical infrastructure monitoring, as successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive operational data, disruption of monitoring capabilities, and potential lateral movement within the network. The authenticated nature of the attack means that attackers must first obtain valid credentials, but this requirement does not significantly reduce the overall risk given that credential compromise is a common attack vector.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through the application of vendor patches released for the affected versions. The IBM Security Bulletin for this vulnerability provides specific patch information and upgrade paths for each affected release series. Additionally, network administrators should implement additional security controls including web application firewalls, input validation rules, and regular security assessments of the web interface components. From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and it maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for scripting and T1566 for credential harvesting. Organizations should also consider implementing principle of least privilege access controls and regular security training for administrators to reduce the likelihood of credential compromise that could enable exploitation of this vulnerability.