CVE-2015-0526 in RSA Validation Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in EMC RSA Validation Manager (RVM) 3.2 before build 201 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) displayMode or (2) wrapPreDisplayMode parameter.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/21/2022
The CVE-2015-0526 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in EMC RSA Validation Manager version 3.2 prior to build 201. This vulnerability resides within the web application layer of the RSA Validation Manager system, which is designed for identity and access management purposes. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the application's parameter handling processes. Attackers can exploit this weakness by manipulating specific HTTP parameters to inject malicious scripts into the application's response, potentially compromising user sessions and accessing sensitive data within the system. The vulnerability affects the core authentication and validation processes that RSA Validation Manager employs for managing user identities and access controls.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves two primary attack vectors through the displayMode and wrapPreDisplayMode parameters. When these parameters are passed to the application without proper sanitization, they become entry points for malicious payload injection. The flaw demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-79 - Cross-site Scripting, where the application fails to validate or encode user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web content. The attack requires minimal privileges as it operates entirely through web-based interfaces, making it accessible to remote attackers without requiring physical access to the system. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because RSA Validation Manager serves as a critical component in enterprise security infrastructure, making successful exploitation potentially devastating for organizations relying on its services.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal authentication tokens, and access restricted administrative functions within the RSA Validation Manager environment. An attacker could craft malicious URLs containing script payloads that would execute in the context of authenticated users' browsers, potentially allowing unauthorized access to validation records, user credentials, and system configuration data. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 - Phishing, as attackers could leverage the XSS flaw to deliver malicious payloads through compromised web interfaces. Organizations using RSA Validation Manager in production environments would face significant risk of credential theft, unauthorized access to validation processes, and potential compromise of their entire identity management infrastructure, especially given that the vulnerability affects core authentication mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-0526 should prioritize immediate deployment of vendor patches and updates to RSA Validation Manager version 3.2 build 201 or later. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation measures that sanitize all user-supplied parameters, particularly those used in dynamic content generation. Web application firewalls should be configured to detect and block suspicious parameter values that could indicate XSS attempts. Additionally, implementing proper output encoding techniques ensures that any malicious content submitted by users is rendered harmless when displayed in web browsers. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of the RSA Validation Manager environment, review access controls, and monitor for potential exploitation attempts. The remediation process should include network segmentation to limit access to the RSA Validation Manager system and implement multi-factor authentication for administrative functions. Organizations should also establish incident response procedures specifically addressing potential XSS exploitation attempts and maintain detailed logging of all parameter usage within the application to facilitate forensic analysis if incidents occur.