CVE-2016-1916 in Enterprise Server BES
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Management Console in BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) 12 before 12.4.1 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML by leveraging basic administrative access to create a crafted policy, leading to improper rendering on a certain Export IT screen.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/26/2022
The CVE-2016-1916 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the BlackBerry Enterprise Server Management Console, specifically affecting versions prior to 12.4.1. This vulnerability demonstrates a classic security weakness in web application input validation and output encoding mechanisms, where malicious scripts can be injected into the system through legitimate administrative functions. The flaw exists in the Export IT screen functionality, which serves as a critical interface for system administrators to manage and export enterprise data. The vulnerability's exploitation requires only basic administrative access, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by insiders or compromised administrative accounts to execute malicious code against other users within the same administrative domain.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization of user input within the policy creation process, which is then reflected in the Export IT screen without proper HTML encoding or sanitization. This creates an environment where crafted policy parameters can contain malicious script code that executes when the exported data is rendered in a web browser. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and demonstrates how administrative interfaces often contain insufficient input validation controls that can be exploited by authenticated users. The attack vector requires a malicious actor to have basic administrative privileges, but this access level is typically restricted to trusted personnel, making the vulnerability particularly concerning as it can be exploited by compromised or insider threat actors.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-1916 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal administrative credentials, or redirect users to malicious websites. The vulnerability's exploitation can lead to complete system compromise when combined with other attack techniques, as demonstrated by ATT&CK framework's T1548.001 and T1078.004 techniques that involve privilege escalation and legitimate credentials use. An attacker could potentially establish persistent access to the enterprise environment through this vulnerability, as the injected scripts could capture user sessions or redirect traffic to phishing sites. The attack's success rate is high given that it requires only basic administrative access, which is often more readily available than elevated privileges, making it a preferred target for attackers seeking to maintain long-term access to enterprise networks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of affected BlackBerry Enterprise Server versions to 12.4.1 or later, which contains the necessary input validation and output encoding fixes. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit administrative access and deploy web application firewalls to monitor for suspicious script injection attempts. The remediation process should include comprehensive user access reviews to ensure that only authorized personnel have administrative privileges, following principle of least privilege guidelines. Additionally, regular security assessments of administrative interfaces should be conducted to identify similar input validation weaknesses. Organizations should also implement proper logging and monitoring of administrative activities to detect potential exploitation attempts, as the vulnerability's impact can be significant enough to warrant immediate attention in enterprise security operations centers. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of validating all user inputs and properly encoding output in web applications, particularly within administrative interfaces where the potential for damage is greatest.