CVE-2014-3265 in Security Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Auto Update Server (AUS) web framework in Cisco Security Manager 4.2 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via an unspecified parameter, aka Bug ID CSCuo06900.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/20/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-3265 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Cisco Security Manager's Auto Update Server web framework, affecting versions 4.2 and earlier. This weakness resides in the framework's handling of user-supplied input through an unspecified parameter, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute unauthorized web scripts or HTML content within the context of legitimate user sessions. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it operates within a security management platform that handles sensitive network security configurations and monitoring data, potentially exposing the entire security infrastructure to compromise.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding within the Auto Update Server component. When the framework processes user-provided data through the affected parameter, it fails to properly sanitize or escape special characters that could be interpreted as executable script code. This allows attackers to craft malicious payloads that, when processed by the web application, get executed in the browsers of unsuspecting users who interact with the vulnerable system. The vulnerability maps to CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws where applications fail to properly validate or encode user-controllable data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive authentication tokens, and manipulate security configurations within the Cisco Security Manager environment. An attacker could potentially redirect users to malicious websites, steal session cookies, or inject persistent malicious scripts that would execute every time a user accesses the affected system. Given that Cisco Security Manager is designed for enterprise security management, successful exploitation could lead to complete compromise of network security monitoring capabilities, allowing attackers to evade detection while gaining unauthorized access to critical security infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate deployment of Cisco's security patches and updates, which would address the input validation deficiencies in the Auto Update Server framework. Organizations should also implement robust web application firewall rules to detect and block suspicious script injection attempts, and establish comprehensive input sanitization policies for all user-supplied data. Network segmentation and privileged access controls should be enforced to limit the potential damage from successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers social engineering through malicious web content, and T1071.004, covering application layer protocol usage for command and control communications. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar input validation weaknesses in other components of the security infrastructure.