CVE-2014-6163 in WebSphere DataPower XC10
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability on the IBM WebSphere DataPower XC10 appliance 2.1 and 2.5 before FP4 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/07/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-6163 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting IBM WebSphere DataPower XC10 appliance versions 2.1 and 2.5 prior to fix pack 4. This security weakness resides in the appliance's handling of user-supplied input within URL parameters, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of authenticated user sessions. The vulnerability specifically impacts the appliance's web-based management interface, where proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms fail to adequately sanitize user-provided data before rendering it in web responses. The flaw stems from insufficient sanitization of URL parameters, allowing attackers to craft malicious URLs that, when processed by the appliance, execute unintended code within the browser of authenticated users who access the compromised links.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which defines cross-site scripting as a common web application security flaw occurring when applications include untrusted data in web pages without proper validation or encoding. The attack vector requires remote authenticated access, meaning that an attacker must first establish valid credentials to exploit the vulnerability, though this authentication requirement does not prevent significant damage. The DataPower appliance's web interface processes user input from URL parameters without adequate sanitization, allowing malicious payloads to be stored or executed in the context of the victim's browser session. This particular implementation flaw affects the appliance's ability to properly escape or filter special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code, creating a persistent vulnerability that remains exploitable until the affected versions are patched.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents substantial risk to organizations relying on DataPower XC10 appliances for API management, security gateway functions, and data processing tasks. The authenticated nature of the attack means that an attacker with valid credentials can potentially compromise other users within the same administrative domain, leading to privilege escalation, data theft, or unauthorized configuration changes. The impact extends beyond simple script execution as the vulnerability could enable attackers to steal session cookies, perform actions on behalf of authenticated users, or redirect victims to malicious sites. Organizations utilizing these appliances may face regulatory compliance issues if the vulnerability leads to unauthorized data access or system compromise, particularly in environments governed by standards such as pci dss, hipaa, or soc 2. The attack requires minimal sophistication and can be automated, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrators frequently access the appliance's web interface.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-6163 primarily involve applying the official IBM fix pack 4 for DataPower XC10 appliance versions 2.1 and 2.5, which includes proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent malicious script injection. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access control measures to limit exposure of the appliance's web interface to trusted networks only. Additional defensive measures include monitoring web interface access logs for suspicious URL patterns, implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block XSS payloads, and conducting regular security assessments of the appliance configuration. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining current security patches and following IBM's security advisory practices, as the flaw demonstrates how insufficient input validation in web applications can create persistent security risks. Organizations should consider implementing principle of least privilege access controls and multi-factor authentication for administrative access to reduce the potential impact of such vulnerabilities. The remediation process should include thorough testing of the applied patches to ensure that the security fix does not introduce compatibility issues with existing DataPower configurations or deployed services.