CVE-2015-1908 in WebSphere Portal
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM WebSphere Portal 6.1.0 through 6.1.0.6 CF27, 6.1.5 through 6.1.5.3 CF27, 7.0.0 through 7.0.0.2 CF29, 8.0.0 before 8.0.0.1 CF16, and 8.5.0 through CF05, as used in Web Content Manager and other products, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/09/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-1908 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within IBM WebSphere Portal versions spanning multiple release branches including 6.1.0 through 6.1.0.6, 6.1.5 through 6.1.5.3, 7.0.0 through 7.0.0.2, 8.0.0 prior to 8.0.0.1, and 8.5.0 through CF05. This vulnerability specifically affects Web Content Manager and related products, creating a significant security risk that enables remote attackers to execute malicious web scripts or HTML code through manipulated URL inputs. The flaw resides in the portal's handling of user-supplied input within URL parameters, which fails to properly sanitize or validate the data before processing. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that allows attackers to inject client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a code injection technique under the T1190 attack pattern, specifically targeting web application input validation mechanisms.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious URL containing script code within its parameters and delivers it to unsuspecting users through social engineering or by embedding it in legitimate-looking web content. When a victim clicks such a link, the malicious script executes within the victim's browser session, potentially stealing session cookies, modifying web page content, redirecting users to malicious sites, or performing actions on behalf of the user without their knowledge. The impact is particularly severe in enterprise environments where WebSphere Portal serves as a central platform for content management and collaboration, as compromised sessions could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive business information, data manipulation, or privilege escalation within the portal infrastructure. The vulnerability's widespread presence across multiple versions indicates a systemic issue in the input handling logic that affects the core functionality of the portal's URL processing mechanisms.
Organizations utilizing affected IBM WebSphere Portal versions face substantial operational risks including potential data breaches, unauthorized content modification, and service disruption. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation can occur from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to the network or system. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access patterns, conduct phishing attacks, or perform more sophisticated attacks such as credential theft or session hijacking. The attack surface is broad as the vulnerability affects not just the core portal functionality but also Web Content Manager and related products, potentially exposing multiple application components to the same threat vector. Security teams must consider the cascading effects of such vulnerabilities, as compromised portal instances could serve as entry points for further attacks within the enterprise network infrastructure.
The recommended mitigations for CVE-2015-1908 include immediate application of IBM security patches and fixes released for the affected versions, which typically involve enhanced input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent script injection. Organizations should implement comprehensive web application firewall rules that monitor and filter suspicious URL patterns, particularly those containing common script tags or encoding sequences. Input sanitization should be strengthened at multiple layers including URL parameter validation, cookie handling, and form field processing. Security configuration reviews should ensure that the portal is running with minimal privileges and that unnecessary features are disabled. Additionally, organizations should implement proper content security policies to restrict script execution and establish monitoring procedures to detect anomalous user behavior or unexpected script loading patterns. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to verify the effectiveness of implemented controls and identify potential additional vulnerabilities within the WebSphere Portal environment.