CVE-2015-4993 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 CF19, and 8.5.0 before CF08 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-4998.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/28/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2015-4993 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within IBM WebSphere Portal software versions spanning multiple release lines 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 before 8.0.0.1, and 8.5.0 before CF08. This vulnerability specifically affects the portal's handling of user input in URL parameters, creating an avenue for remote attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of authenticated users' browsers. The flaw manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize or encode user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages, thereby enabling attackers to inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript code through carefully crafted URLs.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the WebSphere Portal's web application framework. When users navigate to URLs containing malicious payloads, the portal server processes these inputs without adequate sanitization, allowing attacker-controlled scripts to be executed in the victim's browser context. This weakness directly maps to CWE-79, which defines Cross-Site Scripting vulnerabilities as the failure to properly encode output data, making it executable as web script. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited through various attack vectors including reflected XSS, where the malicious script is reflected off the web server and executed in the user's browser, or through persistent XSS if the malicious content is stored and subsequently served to other users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration. An attacker could craft URLs that, when clicked by authenticated portal users, would steal session cookies or redirect users to malicious sites. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that WebSphere Portal serves as a central enterprise portal platform where users often maintain elevated privileges and access sensitive corporate data. This vulnerability could be exploited to compromise entire corporate networks through the theft of authentication tokens or by establishing backdoor access through persistent malicious scripts that remain active during user sessions. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation can occur from any location without requiring physical access to the network infrastructure, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant security patches provided by IBM, which typically address the input validation gaps through proper encoding and sanitization of user-supplied parameters. Network segmentation and web application firewalls should be deployed to monitor and filter malicious URL patterns, while comprehensive input validation should be implemented at all entry points where user data is processed. Security awareness training for administrators should emphasize the importance of keeping portal software updated and monitoring for suspicious URL patterns in access logs. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts, and organizations should consider implementing additional security controls such as regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications within their environment. This issue demonstrates the critical need for robust security practices in enterprise portal platforms and aligns with ATT&CK techniques related to initial access through web application exploitation and credential access through session manipulation.