CVE-2014-4836 in TRIRIGA Application Platform
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in breakOutWithName.jsp in IBM TRIRIGA Application Platform 3.2 and 3.3 before 3.3.0.2, 3.3.1 before 3.3.1.3, 3.3.2 before 3.3.2.2, and 3.4 before 3.4.0.1 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/26/2018
The CVE-2014-4836 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within IBM TRIRIGA Application Platform versions 3.2 through 3.4, specifically affecting the breakOutWithName.jsp component. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is a fundamental web application security weakness that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability specifically impacts the platform's handling of user-supplied input within the breakOutWithName.jsp file, which serves as a name-based breakout mechanism within the application's interface.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of URL parameters that are processed by the breakOutWithName.jsp servlet. When authenticated users navigate to a crafted URL containing malicious script payloads, the application fails to properly sanitize or encode the input before rendering it in the web response. This allows remote authenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML content that executes in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires only authentication to exploit, meaning that any user with valid credentials can potentially leverage this flaw to compromise other users within the same application environment.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables several attack vectors that can severely compromise the integrity and confidentiality of the TRIRIGA platform. Attackers can use the XSS vulnerability to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of victims, redirect users to malicious sites, or even harvest sensitive data from authenticated sessions. The authenticated nature of the attack means that the threat actor does not require public access to the application, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous within enterprise environments where users have legitimate access to the platform. This flaw can be exploited to create persistent backdoors or to conduct phishing attacks against other users within the same organization, potentially leading to broader security breaches.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-4836 primarily focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the affected IBM TRIRIGA Application Platform versions. Organizations should immediately apply the vendor-provided security patches and updates released for versions 3.3.0.2, 3.3.1.3, 3.3.2.2, and 3.4.0.1 to address this vulnerability. Additionally, implementing comprehensive input sanitization measures and output encoding for all user-supplied data within the breakOutWithName.jsp component is essential. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls and content security policies to provide additional layers of protection against similar vulnerabilities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1566 for Phishing, highlighting the multi-faceted nature of the threat and the need for comprehensive defensive measures across different attack surface areas.