CVE-2014-3266 in Security Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the web framework in Cisco Security Manager 4.6 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via an unspecified parameter, aka Bug ID CSCun65189.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/13/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-3266 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Cisco Security Manager version 4.6 and earlier releases. This web framework vulnerability enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of a victim's browser session, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive information or system compromise. The issue stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the web application's parameter handling functionality, creating an exploitable entry point for malicious actors to manipulate web content through unspecified parameters.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting weaknesses in web applications. This classification indicates that the web framework fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages. The vulnerability manifests when the application processes user-provided data without adequate validation or encoding, allowing attackers to inject malicious HTML or JavaScript code that executes in the victim's browser context. The unspecified parameter mentioned in the description suggests that the flaw exists across multiple input vectors within the web interface, making the attack surface broader than typical single-parameter XSS vulnerabilities.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations utilizing Cisco Security Manager deployments. Remote attackers could leverage this weakness to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users, or redirect victims to malicious websites. The severity is compounded by the fact that the vulnerability affects the security manager's web interface, which typically handles sensitive network security configurations and monitoring data. Attackers could potentially access privileged information, modify security policies, or establish persistent access points within the network infrastructure. The bug ID CSCun65189 indicates this was a recognized issue within Cisco's internal tracking system, suggesting the vulnerability had been documented and potentially patched in later releases.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches from Cisco, which would address the underlying input validation flaws in the web framework. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can provide additional layers of protection by monitoring and filtering malicious traffic patterns. Input sanitization measures should be enforced at multiple levels including application code validation, output encoding, and the implementation of content security policies. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any other potentially affected components within their network security infrastructure that might share similar architectural vulnerabilities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1059.008 technique for 'Scripting' and T1566.001 for 'Phishing' as attackers could use the XSS capability to deliver malicious payloads or manipulate user interactions within the security management interface.