CVE-2015-9257 in Remedy Action Request
Summary
by MITRE
BMC Remedy Action Request (AR) System 9.0 before 9.0.00 Service Pack 2 hot fix 1 has persistent XSS.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/16/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-9257 affects the BMC Remedy Action Request AR System version 9.0 before Service Pack 2 hot fix 1, representing a critical persistent cross-site scripting flaw that enables attackers to inject malicious scripts into web applications. This vulnerability resides within the system's user interface handling mechanisms where input validation and output encoding are insufficiently implemented, allowing malicious actors to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of other users' browsers. The issue stems from inadequate sanitization of user-supplied data when processing form submissions and display fields, creating a persistent threat vector that can affect multiple users who interact with compromised data.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker submits malicious script code through input fields that are then stored within the application's database and subsequently rendered to other users without proper HTML encoding or script sanitization. This persistent nature means that once the malicious payload is injected, it continues to execute whenever affected users view the compromised content, making it particularly dangerous for collaborative environments where multiple users access shared data. The vulnerability specifically impacts the system's ability to properly validate and sanitize user inputs across various form fields, including text areas, comments, and other editable content areas within the AR System interface.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on BMC Remedy AR System for business-critical processes such as incident management, problem management, and change management. Attackers could exploit this weakness to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users, redirect victims to malicious sites, or extract sensitive information from the application's data. The persistent nature of the vulnerability means that even after initial exploitation, the malicious code continues to affect users until the compromised data is manually cleaned or the system is patched, potentially leading to prolonged unauthorized access and data compromise. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79, which describes cross-site scripting flaws, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 for credential access through malicious file execution.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the available service pack 2 hot fix 1 from BMC, which addresses the specific input validation issues within the AR System. Additional defensive measures include implementing strict input validation at multiple layers, enabling proper output encoding for all user-supplied content, and conducting regular security assessments of web applications. Network segmentation and monitoring for suspicious user activities can help detect potential exploitation attempts, while user education regarding the risks of clicking on untrusted links or submitting unexpected content can reduce successful attack vectors. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against persistent threats in enterprise collaboration platforms.