CVE-2014-6193 in WebSphere Portal
Summary
by MITRE
IBM WebSphere Portal 8.0.0 through 8.0.0.1 CF14 and 8.5.0 before CF04, when the Managed Pages setting is enabled, allows remote authenticated users to write to pages via an XML injection attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/09/2022
IBM WebSphere Portal versions 8.0.0 through 8.0.0.1 CF14 and 8.5.0 before CF04 contain a critical vulnerability in their Managed Pages functionality that enables authenticated remote attackers to perform XML injection attacks. This vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization of XML data within the portal's page management system, allowing malicious users to inject arbitrary XML content that gets processed and written to portal pages. The flaw specifically manifests when the Managed Pages setting is enabled, which is a common configuration in enterprise portal deployments where administrators want to provide users with page creation and modification capabilities. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-94 as "Improper Control of Generation of Code" and represents a code injection flaw that directly impacts the portal's XML processing mechanisms. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious XML payloads that bypass normal access controls and write content to pages that would normally be restricted to authorized administrators only.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized page modifications to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks within the portal environment. When exploited, the XML injection allows attackers to inject malicious content such as scripts, configuration changes, or even malicious page templates that could compromise the entire portal infrastructure. The attack vector requires only authenticated access, meaning that any user with valid portal credentials can potentially exploit this vulnerability, making it particularly dangerous in environments where user access is not strictly controlled. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript' and T1566.001 for "Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment' as attackers can use the injected XML to deliver malicious payloads or manipulate page content to harvest credentials or redirect users to malicious sites. The flaw essentially provides an attack surface that allows for privilege escalation within the portal's page management system, potentially enabling attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive portal features and data.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of affected IBM WebSphere Portal versions to the latest cumulative fixes provided by IBM. Organizations should also implement strict input validation measures and sanitize all XML data entering the portal system, particularly when processing user-generated content. Network segmentation and access control measures should be enhanced to limit the impact of potential exploitation, ensuring that only authorized administrators have access to the Managed Pages functionality. Additionally, monitoring and logging of page modification activities should be implemented to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper XML processing security measures and highlights the risks associated with enabling user-facing page management features without adequate input validation controls. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and content filtering mechanisms to detect and prevent malicious XML injection attempts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other portal components and ensure overall security posture remains intact against evolving attack vectors.