CVE-2015-4457 in Manager UI
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the Cloudera Manager UI before 5.4.3 allow remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML using unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/27/2019
The CVE-2015-4457 vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in the Cloudera Manager web interface that affected versions prior to 5.4.3. This vulnerability falls under the category of cross-site scripting attacks, which occur when an application fails to properly validate or sanitize user input before rendering it in web pages. The Cloudera Manager UI serves as a centralized administration interface for managing Hadoop clusters, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to compromise distributed computing environments. The vulnerability specifically affects authenticated users who can leverage their access privileges to inject malicious scripts into the web application, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive cluster data and operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms within the Cloudera Manager UI components that process user-supplied data. Attackers with valid credentials can exploit unspecified vectors to inject malicious JavaScript code or HTML content into the application's response pages. These vectors likely involve parameters or fields within the user interface that do not properly sanitize or escape user input before displaying it to other users or storing it in the application's data structures. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that Cloudera Manager typically operates in enterprise environments where administrators have elevated privileges and access to critical data processing systems. The lack of proper sanitization allows attackers to execute scripts in the context of other users' sessions, potentially enabling session hijacking, data exfiltration, or further exploitation of the underlying Hadoop infrastructure.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-4457 extends beyond simple script injection, as it creates a potential attack vector for more sophisticated compromises within enterprise environments. An authenticated attacker could manipulate the UI to redirect users to malicious sites, steal session cookies, or modify the behavior of the management interface itself. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and can be categorized under CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications. The attack surface is particularly concerning in big data environments where Cloudera Manager interfaces are often exposed to internal networks and may contain sensitive operational information about cluster configurations, user permissions, and data processing workflows. Organizations using Cloudera Manager in production environments face significant risk of unauthorized access to their distributed computing resources, potentially leading to data breaches or system compromise.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-4457 primarily focus on updating to Cloudera Manager version 5.4.3 or later, which includes patches addressing the input validation deficiencies. Security administrators should also implement additional defensive measures such as web application firewalls, input sanitization policies, and regular security assessments of the management interface. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers Phishing with Malicious Attachments or Links, highlights the potential for attackers to use this vulnerability as part of broader social engineering campaigns. Organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify other potential XSS vulnerabilities in their web applications and ensure proper input validation across all user-facing interfaces. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation, while regular security monitoring can help detect anomalous behavior that might indicate attempted exploitation of this vulnerability. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing to ensure that the patch does not introduce regressions in the application's functionality while maintaining the security improvements necessary to prevent future attacks.