CVE-2015-0655 in Unified Web And E-mail Interaction Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Unified Web Interaction Manager in Cisco Unified Web and E-Mail Interaction Manager allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via vectors related to a POST request, aka Bug ID CSCus74184.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/01/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2015-0655 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Cisco's Unified Web Interaction Manager component of their Unified Communications suite. This weakness exists in the web and email interaction manager functionality that processes user input through POST requests, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of affected user sessions. The vulnerability specifically impacts Cisco Unified Web and E-Mail Interaction Manager systems, which serve as web interfaces for managing unified communications services and email interactions within enterprise environments.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the web interaction manager's processing of POST request parameters. When legitimate users submit data through web forms or API endpoints, the system fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied input before rendering it in web responses. This allows attackers to craft malicious payloads that, when processed by the application, get executed in the browser context of authenticated users. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the web application layer where user sessions are established and maintained, potentially enabling attackers to hijack user sessions or perform actions on behalf of victims.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can lead to complete session hijacking, data theft, and privilege escalation within the unified communications environment. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could access sensitive communication data, manipulate user permissions, or redirect users to malicious sites that appear legitimate within the corporate network. Given that this vulnerability affects interaction managers used for email and web communications, the potential for data exfiltration and unauthorized access to business-critical communication channels is substantial. The vulnerability also poses risks to internal network reconnaissance, as attackers could use it to gather information about the internal structure of unified communications systems.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including input validation controls, output encoding mechanisms, and web application firewall rules to block suspicious POST request patterns. The fix typically involves implementing proper sanitization of user inputs and ensuring that all dynamic content rendered in web responses is properly escaped to prevent script execution. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments of all unified communications components and implement network segmentation to limit the potential impact of exploitation. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and falls under ATT&CK technique T1566 for initial access through spearphishing campaigns that could leverage such vulnerabilities. The remediation process should include updating to Cisco's patched versions of Unified Web and E-Mail Interaction Manager, implementing security monitoring for anomalous POST request patterns, and conducting regular security testing of web applications to identify similar input validation weaknesses.