CVE-2014-9514 in FootPrints Service Core
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in BMC Footprints Service Core 11.5.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/10/2019
The CVE-2014-9514 vulnerability represents a cross-site scripting flaw within BMC Footprints Service Core 11.5, a widely deployed IT service management platform that handles incident management, problem management, and change management processes. This vulnerability specifically affects the web interface components of the service core application, creating a potential attack vector that could be exploited by malicious actors to execute arbitrary scripts within the context of a victim's browser session. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the application's user interface elements, particularly in areas where user-supplied data is rendered back to the browser without proper sanitization.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability occurs when the application fails to properly sanitize user input before incorporating it into dynamic web content. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that, when submitted through forms or URL parameters, get executed in the browser of authenticated users who view the affected content. This particular flaw exists in the way the application processes and displays user-generated content, allowing attackers to inject malicious javascript code that can persistently execute within the victim's browser environment. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and demonstrates a fundamental weakness in the application's data validation and sanitization protocols.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive user credentials, access confidential data, and potentially escalate privileges within the service management environment. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain access to the entire service management database, including incident records, user information, and potentially system configuration details. This represents a significant risk for organizations that rely on BMC Footprints for critical IT operations, as the compromised system could serve as a gateway for further attacks within the network infrastructure. The vulnerability affects the application's authentication and authorization mechanisms, potentially allowing unauthorized access to privileged functions and data that should be restricted to authorized personnel only.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and output encoding controls to prevent the injection of malicious scripts into web responses. The recommended approach involves deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block XSS attack patterns, implementing content security policies to restrict script execution, and ensuring proper sanitization of all user inputs before rendering them in web pages. Additionally, regular security updates and patches from BMC should be applied immediately upon release, and comprehensive security testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities within the application's codebase. The remediation process should also include user education regarding the risks of clicking suspicious links and the importance of maintaining updated browser security settings to protect against such attacks. This vulnerability underscores the critical importance of secure coding practices and continuous security monitoring in enterprise service management platforms, as highlighted by ATT&CK technique T1213 which covers data from information repositories, and demonstrates how seemingly minor input validation flaws can create substantial security risks in complex enterprise applications.