CVE-2015-6416 in Unified Email Interaction Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Cisco Unified Email Interaction Manager and Unified Web Interaction Manager 11.0(1) allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML a crafted URL, aka Bug ID CSCuw24479.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/01/2022
The vulnerability CVE-2015-6416 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Cisco Unified Email Interaction Manager and Unified Web Interaction Manager versions up to 11.0(1). This security weakness enables remote attackers to execute malicious web scripts or HTML code through specially crafted URLs, fundamentally compromising the integrity of web applications and user sessions. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the affected Cisco products, creating an exploitable entry point for malicious actors seeking to manipulate web interactions and potentially access sensitive user data.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability occurs when the affected systems fail to properly sanitize user-supplied input parameters within URL structures. Attackers can construct malicious URLs containing script code that gets executed in the context of a victim's browser session, bypassing standard security controls and potentially allowing for session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws where untrusted data is improperly incorporated into web pages without adequate validation or encoding measures. The flaw exists in the application's handling of user-controllable input that should be strictly validated and escaped before being rendered in web responses.
Operationally, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations utilizing Cisco's unified communication platforms, as it can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive email communications, session manipulation, and potential data exfiltration. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors do not require physical access to the network or system to exploit the flaw, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where email and web interaction services are extensively used. Successful exploitation could result in complete compromise of user sessions, leading to unauthorized access to corporate email systems, potential lateral movement within networks, and exposure of confidential business information.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches released by Cisco, implementing robust input validation mechanisms, and deploying web application firewalls to detect and prevent malicious URL patterns. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers social engineering attacks through malicious links, and T1071 which addresses application layer protocol usage for command and control communications. Network segmentation and user education regarding suspicious URL handling can serve as additional defensive measures, though the primary remediation involves proper patch management and enhanced application security controls to prevent improper input handling that enables XSS exploitation scenarios.