CVE-2015-1917 in WebSphere Portal
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Active Content Filtering component 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 CF17, and 8.5.0 before CF06 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/31/2022
The CVE-2015-1917 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within IBM WebSphere Portal's Active Content Filtering component, affecting multiple versions from 6.1.0 through 8.5.0. This vulnerability resides in the portal's content filtering mechanisms that are designed to prevent malicious content from being executed within the web application environment. The flaw specifically manifests when the system processes user-supplied URLs without adequate sanitization, creating an avenue for attackers to inject malicious scripts that can execute within the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability impacts organizations running IBM WebSphere Portal versions that fall within the specified ranges, making it particularly concerning for enterprises that have not yet applied the necessary security patches.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the Active Content Filtering component. When a user navigates to a specially crafted URL containing malicious script payloads, the filtering system fails to properly sanitize the input before rendering it in the web interface. This allows attackers to inject HTML content or JavaScript code that executes in the victim's browser context, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of the victim. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79 as a classic cross-site scripting flaw, where the system improperly handles user-provided data that should be treated as untrusted. The attack vector is particularly insidious because it can be delivered through seemingly legitimate URLs, making it difficult for users to identify malicious attempts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable sophisticated attacks such as credential theft through session hijacking, defacement of portal content, and data exfiltration from authenticated user sessions. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to steal user cookies, which contain authentication tokens that allow them to impersonate legitimate users within the WebSphere Portal environment. The affected versions span several major releases, indicating that this was a widespread issue affecting organizations across different deployment scenarios. Organizations using these vulnerable versions face potential compromise of sensitive corporate data, disruption of portal services, and possible regulatory violations if user data is accessed without proper authorization. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple minor versions suggests that the underlying input validation mechanisms were fundamentally flawed and required comprehensive patching rather than simple configuration changes.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-1917 primarily focus on applying the vendor-provided security patches that address the input validation deficiencies in the Active Content Filtering component. Organizations should immediately upgrade to the patched versions of IBM WebSphere Portal, specifically targeting the cumulative fixes mentioned in the vulnerability description such as CF27, CF29, and the subsequent CF06 releases. Additionally, implementing proper input sanitization at multiple layers of the application architecture, including URL parameter validation and output encoding, provides defense-in-depth measures. Network-based mitigations such as web application firewalls can help detect and block malicious URL patterns, though these should not be considered primary defenses. Regular security assessments of portal configurations and monitoring for unusual URL access patterns can help identify potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter, as attackers can leverage the XSS capability to execute arbitrary scripts within user browsers, and T1566 for phishing with malicious attachments or links, since the attack can be delivered through crafted URLs that appear legitimate to users.