CVE-2015-0103 in Business Process Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the Process Portal in IBM Business Process Manager (BPM) 8.0 through 8.0.1.3, 8.5.0 through 8.5.0.1, and 8.5.5 through 8.5.5.0 allow remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified data fields.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/09/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-0103 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within IBM Business Process Manager's Process Portal component. This security weakness affects multiple versions of IBM BPM including 8.0 through 8.0.1.3, 8.5.0 through 8.5.0.1, and 8.5.5 through 8.5.5.0, creating a significant attack surface for malicious actors. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the web application's data handling processes, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts into data fields that are subsequently rendered to other users.
The technical flaw manifests as a failure to properly sanitize user-supplied input before it is processed and displayed within the web interface. This weakness falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities where untrusted data is improperly handled in web applications. The vulnerability occurs in the Process Portal component of IBM BPM, which serves as the user interface for managing business processes and workflow activities. Attackers can exploit this flaw by submitting malicious scripts through unspecified data fields that are then executed in the context of other users' browsers who view the affected content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial as it enables remote authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the victim's browser context. This capability allows for session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and potential privilege escalation within the BPM environment. The authenticated nature of the attack means that attackers must first obtain valid credentials, but once compromised, they can manipulate the application's functionality and access sensitive business process data. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of the entire BPM system, potentially exposing critical business workflows and process information to unauthorized parties.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant IBM security patches and updates released for the affected versions of IBM BPM. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing strict input validation controls, output encoding mechanisms, and web application firewalls to filter malicious content before it reaches users. The mitigation strategies should align with the ATT&CK framework's mitigation techniques for web application attacks, particularly focusing on input validation and output encoding controls. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in the broader application ecosystem, ensuring comprehensive protection against similar cross-site scripting threats that could compromise business process management systems.