CVE-2015-4699 in Cloud4Wi
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Splash Portal in Cloud4Wi before 5.9.7 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the recoveryMessage parameter to the default URI.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/10/2019
The CVE-2015-4699 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in the Cloud4Wi Splash Portal software prior to version 5.9.7. This vulnerability exists within the web application's input validation mechanisms and specifically targets the recoveryMessage parameter that is processed through the default URI endpoint. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of a victim's browser session, potentially compromising user data and system integrity.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input parameters within the Splash Portal's recovery message handling functionality. When the application processes the recoveryMessage parameter without proper validation or encoding, it fails to distinguish between legitimate user input and malicious script code. This lack of input filtering creates an environment where attackers can inject HTML and JavaScript code that executes in the victim's browser when the page renders. The vulnerability is classified as a classic reflected XSS attack where malicious payloads are reflected back to users through the application's response.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant security risks to organizations utilizing Cloud4Wi's wireless access portal solutions. Attackers can exploit this flaw to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of users, redirect victims to malicious websites, or even harvest sensitive information from authenticated sessions. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors do not require physical access to the network or direct system compromise to exploit this vulnerability. The impact extends beyond individual user sessions to potentially compromise the entire wireless access infrastructure and associated user data.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script-based execution. Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied parameters, particularly those used in dynamic content generation. The most effective remediation involves upgrading to Cloud4Wi version 5.9.7 or later, which includes proper parameter sanitization and input validation controls. Additional protective measures include implementing Content Security Policy headers, using secure coding practices for parameter handling, and conducting regular security assessments of web applications to identify similar vulnerabilities in the attack surface.