CVE-2015-2827 in Spectrum
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in CA Spectrum 9.2.x and 9.3.x before 9.3 H02 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/02/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-2827 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within CA Spectrum monitoring software versions 9.2.x and 9.3.x prior to the 9.3 H02 release. This weakness exists in the web-based administrative interface of the network monitoring platform, which is widely used by enterprises for infrastructure monitoring and management. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on CA Spectrum for their network operations center activities, potentially exposing their monitoring environments to malicious web script injection attacks that could compromise user sessions and data integrity.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the web application components of CA Spectrum. Attackers with valid authentication credentials can exploit this flaw by crafting malicious payloads that are executed in the context of other users' browsers who access the affected web interface. The unspecified vectors suggest that multiple entry points within the application could be compromised, including form fields, URL parameters, or other user-controllable inputs that are not properly sanitized before being rendered in web responses. This lack of specific vector identification indicates a systemic issue in the application's input handling mechanisms rather than a single point of failure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it creates a pathway for attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive monitoring data, and potentially escalate privileges within the network management environment. Given that CA Spectrum is typically deployed in enterprise environments where it has access to critical network infrastructure information, successful exploitation could provide attackers with detailed insights into network topology, device configurations, and operational statuses. The authenticated nature of the attack means that adversaries would need valid user credentials, but this requirement is often met through credential theft, insider threats, or social engineering attacks that are common in enterprise security breaches.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through the installation of the 9.3 H02 patch release or equivalent security updates provided by CA Technologies. Security teams should also implement network-based monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and consider temporary access restrictions to the affected web interface. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in software applications, and it maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 related to spearphishing with attachments that could be used to gain initial access to systems before exploiting this web-based vulnerability. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security assessments of their monitoring infrastructure to identify other potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited in conjunction with this XSS flaw, particularly focusing on the broader attack surface of network monitoring applications that often contain sensitive operational data.