CVE-2015-0594 in Prime LAN Management Solution
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the help pages in Cisco Common Services, as used in Cisco Prime LAN Management Solution (LMS) and Cisco Security Manager, allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified parameters, aka Bug IDs CSCuq54654 and CSCun18263.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/01/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-0594 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Cisco Common Services components within the Cisco Prime LAN Management Solution and Cisco Security Manager platforms. This issue manifests in the help pages functionality where unspecified parameters fail to properly sanitize user input, creating opportunities for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of authenticated sessions. The vulnerability's classification as a persistent security weakness in web application input validation directly aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities that occur when applications fail to properly escape or validate user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web content. The affected systems operate within enterprise network management environments where privileged access is typically required, yet the XSS vector allows attackers to manipulate help page functionality to inject malicious payloads that can persist across user sessions and potentially compromise the broader network management infrastructure.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of parameters within the help page interfaces of Cisco Prime LAN Management Solution and Cisco Security Manager. Attackers can craft malicious requests that include script tags or HTML content within the vulnerable parameters, which are then rendered in the help pages without proper sanitization or encoding. This flaw enables a range of malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and the execution of unauthorized administrative commands within the context of the victim's session. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple script injection as it can be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks such as phishing, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation within the network management environment. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it operates through legitimate help functionality that users frequently access, making detection more difficult and exploitation more likely to succeed.
The operational implications of CVE-2015-0594 are significant for organizations relying on Cisco Prime LAN Management Solution and Cisco Security Manager for network infrastructure management. Successful exploitation can lead to complete compromise of the network management console, allowing attackers to view, modify, or delete critical network configurations and policies. The vulnerability affects the integrity and availability of network management functions, potentially disrupting business operations and creating security gaps that could be exploited for lateral movement within the network. From an attacker perspective, this vulnerability provides a persistent foothold within the network management infrastructure, enabling long-term surveillance and manipulation of network configurations. The attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and script injection, as well as T1566 for social engineering through malicious web content, making it a multi-faceted threat that can be leveraged for both initial access and sustained compromise of enterprise network management systems.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches from Cisco, implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms, and deploying web application firewalls to detect and prevent XSS attack patterns. Network segmentation and privilege separation should be enforced to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation, while regular security assessments should verify that help page functionality properly sanitizes all user inputs. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies that protect against both known and emerging threats in network management platforms. Additionally, security awareness training for administrators should emphasize the risks associated with accessing help functionality and the importance of monitoring for unusual activity in network management systems.