CVE-2016-0390 in Algorithmics Algo One Algo Risk Application
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM Algorithmics Algo One Algo Risk Application (ARA) 4.9.1 through 5.1.0 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/26/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-0390 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within IBM Algorithmics Algo One Algo Risk Application version 4.9.1 through 5.1.0. This security weakness enables remote authenticated attackers to execute malicious web scripts or HTML code through manipulated URL parameters, fundamentally compromising the application's input validation mechanisms. The flaw exists in the application's handling of user-supplied data within URL structures, creating an avenue for attackers to inject malicious payloads that can be executed in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability affects the risk management application's web interface, where users must authenticate before exploiting the flaw, yet the authenticated state does not prevent the injection of malicious content that can persist and propagate through the application's user base.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization and validation of URL parameters within the Algo Risk Application's web framework. When authenticated users navigate to specifically crafted URLs containing malicious script content, the application fails to properly escape or filter the input before rendering it in the browser context. This processing gap creates a persistent XSS vector that allows attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the victim's browser session. The vulnerability manifests as a classic reflected XSS issue where the malicious payload is embedded in the URL and executed when the victim clicks on the crafted link or navigates to the malicious page. The flaw operates at the application layer and specifically targets the web user interface components that process and display URL parameters without proper security controls.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations utilizing the Algo Risk Application for financial risk management and analytics. The authenticated nature of the attack means that attackers can potentially access sensitive risk data, manipulate trading positions, or redirect users to malicious sites that could harvest session cookies and credentials. The vulnerability could enable attackers to perform actions on behalf of legitimate users, potentially leading to unauthorized financial transactions, data exfiltration, or system compromise. Organizations relying on this application for critical risk assessment and reporting functions face potential business disruption, regulatory compliance violations, and financial losses if the vulnerability is exploited. The impact extends beyond individual user sessions to potentially affect the entire risk management ecosystem where multiple users interact with shared data and analytical tools.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including comprehensive input validation and output encoding for all URL parameters within the application framework. The recommended approach involves implementing strict parameter sanitization that removes or encodes potentially dangerous characters such as angle brackets, script tags, and event handlers. Security teams should also deploy web application firewalls with XSS detection capabilities and implement content security policies to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts. Additionally, the application should be updated to the latest patched versions of IBM Algorithmics Algo One Algo Risk Application, as IBM typically releases security patches addressing such vulnerabilities. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar input validation flaws within the application's codebase. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and follows patterns commonly associated with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script injection attacks, emphasizing the need for robust input validation and proper output encoding mechanisms across all web application components.